Time Child: Recovery
by DanniFielding
Summary: Sequel to Time Child: Undone. Danni is missing and the Doctor is desperate to get her back. Danni has a long way to go before she can feel like she's safe again. Clara has hurt them both and the Doctor can't forgive her. Everything just feels broken, can it be fixed? 12/OC
1. Prologue

_Hello everyone and welcome to Recovery! Are we all excited? XD_

 _This is the sixth story in the Time Child Saga, so you may want to go read the rest if you haven't already to catch up. In fact, I strongly recommend it, but as the author I would, I suppose._

 _This story is rated M, as always, for bad language, references to what can be considered triggering things and mild sexual scenes. As in nothing explicit, but definitely happening. If you want smut I'd head over to the Outtakes cause that's where it all goes!_

 _I also have a Tumblr for questions/following/talking to! DanniFielding on there too._

 _And, as always, please review!_

 _Enjoy!_

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni awoke with a gasp, shooting up into a sitting position. The bed underneath her gave just enough give that she wobbled slightly. Her eyes darted around, trying to pinpoint where she was exactly. But she couldn't remember. Nothing seemed familiar, and yet part of her knew that she wasn't supposed to be there.

She clambered off the bed and quickly noticed that she had a metal bracelet of some kind strapped around her wrist. Had that always been there? She thought should would remember something like that. The thought gave her a very deep, unsettling feeling. Something beginning with 'f'. F… F… Forgetful?

She quickly rushed over to the mirror that was at the bottom of the bed, coming to a standstill as she looked herself over. No, that can't be right… There was that 'f' word again. Flustered, maybe?

She reached up, running her hand over her face. She had tiny dots all over her face. Tiny, pale dots that covered mainly the bridge of her nose but spread out across both of her cheeks. They had a name that began with an 'f'. Fringe? No. Fr... Freckles. That was it. She had freckles.

That made no sense. Neither did the ginger hair that cascaded down her shoulders. Had she dyed it without remembering? And it was so much longer now. Something very strange was going on. That deep, unsettling feeling wouldn't go away as she traced over her skin with the tips of her fingers. She still couldn't place that word. What was it?

The door opened and she turned, eyes wide and frightened at the sudden attack. In fact… Yes, that was what she was. That was the word that had been on the tip of her tongue.

She was frightened.

She backed away from the figure that came into the room. A tall woman, with brown hair and a purple outfit, who had a grin on her face.

"Who are you?" Danni demanded with her best Scottish accent. She sounded just like… Oh, who did she sound like?

"Don't you remember me, my Pet?" the woman asked in reply, also with a similar accent. Had she picked it up from her? No, there was someone else. Someone else who had the accent.

Danni quickly shook her head. "No," she replied bluntly. "I… I don't know who you are. Who are you?"

The woman started walking towards her and Danni backed right up into the mirror. "Why, I'm Missy, of course. It must have been that regeneration. It can mess up your head sometimes. Why, I can barely remember mine at all." She reached out, grabbing the wrist with the metal bracelet on and pulled her off the mirror. "There's no need to be frightened, my Pet."

"Yes, there is," Danni quickly insisted. "I just… I just don't know what it is. You're here to frighten me."

Missy shook her head. "No, I'm here to keep you safe," she promised. "I know you're very disorientated, but we can fix that right up. Once you're had a little rest you'll be right as rain."

Danni didn't believe her, but she didn't resist as Missy slowly walked her to the bed. Instead she looked around the dark room, trying to work out what was making her so scared. "There's someone missing," she commented. "Someone should be here. There's someone who I want here missing. Someone Scottish."

"That's just the regeneration talking," Missy reassured her. "There's no one missing. You're completely safe."

She helped Danni lie down on the bed, going as far as to pull the covers back and tucking her in. "Once you've had a little sleep you will see that, and everything will be fine once again."

Danni shook her head but felt herself succumbing to just how comfy the bed was. "No, there's someone missing," she insisted. "Someone with my accent. Someone who made me safe but isn't here anymore. Someone… someone I mustn't forget."

"Don't you worry about him," Missy insisted. "When you wake up it will just be you and me and you won't be concerned anymore."

"Him?" Danni repeated as her eyes closed. In her head she saw a flash of grey eyebrows, and a smile that made her feel better. A man in a dark blue suit and a name danced above him. He didn't make her feel frightened. He made her feel safe.

"The Doctor," she muttered as she slowly fell unconscious. "I have to find the Doctor."

"No, you don't," Missy promised. "You're not his problem anymore."

Danni's breathing levelled out, but Missy didn't move. She slowly stroked her hand over the brand new ginger hair, revelling in the fact that she was the first person that Danni saw this time around.

She leant down and placed a kiss on her forehead before standing up. "I'll be here when you wake up," she promised the sleeping woman. "And we'll make sure you forget all about him."


	2. Starting an Army

River's mood always lifted at the sound of the TARDIS landing. Not that she was ever in a particularly terrible mood – it could happen but she enjoyed life more than she hated it – but there was definitely something in that noise that made her happy. Well, it wasn't exactly hard to pinpoint. She knew that noise meant her daughter. Time with her Danni-Girl was always welcomed and encouraged when she could.

Of course, she never expected it when she was out and about. It was always easier for them to find her when she was in Stormcage because she had always headed back there at the end of the night. She guessed now, though, that she didn't actually live in Stormcage she was going to have to see them somewhere.

She lifted up the cup of coffee, sipping on it like she didn't have a care, but her eyes were trained solely on the blue police box on the other side of the road. The little bistro was something she had found a long time ago and would frequently visit when she felt like a bit of a sit down.

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, his eyes quickly darting around and River frowned as he checked every single person in the area, quickly looking over the sea of faces. She placed the cup down as she realised that he was looking positively dishevelled compared to the normally prim and proper way a Twelve this early would portray himself. His expression was manic. He looked terrified.

 _Oh_.

River was out of her chair without another thought for her favourite coffee. She pushed past the general public without caring about her manners and she came to a stop in front of him.

"Do you remember what I did when you killed her?" she asked him lowly and sharply. "So I would suggest that telling me you've lost her wouldn't be the best move for you."

"I didn't _lose_ her," he replied just as angrily. "She was taken from me. And if remember correctly you didn't actually shoot me."

"That's because you wanted me to," she said. "Doesn't mean that I wouldn't be willing. What happened?"

"One minute she was by my side, the next Missy had her and I haven't seen her since," he explained. "Then Missy was killed and I have nothing to work on. Will you help this time?"

"Of course I will," River retorted. "I just want to make sure you know how much you _failed_ her."

"Do you remember when your mother needed you help?" he asked in reply. "And _I_ was the one gathering the army while you swanned in right at the end? Can you see why I'm a little bit dubious?"

"That was different," River replied. "She was just my mother. It's my Danni-Girl you've lost."

The Doctor's eyes quickly searched her face. It was quite obvious to anyone with eyes that she loved Danni above everything else, but to hear her state it so offhandedly was startling, even to him.

However it did raise another question. "Do you know where she is?" he asked her. "Because you knew what happened to Melody and you didn't say a word to anyone."

"That's because I am Melody," she reminded him tauntingly. "But I don't know where she is. I only found out about her being taken a little while ago and I found about it on my own. I've done a bit of research but," she shifted on the spot in slight embarrassment, "so far I've found nothing."

The Doctor stared at her, wondering if he should believe her, but she just stared back confidently. She hadn't been lying. She'd only heard about it in passing, but she'd not been able to find out which Danni it was. She had only seen her daughter a handful of times since then and while she didn't really care about the rules of time, even she knew that mentioning it to her red-headed first body wasn't going to work. Whichever Danni it was, it was definitely not that one. She'd just dropped a couple of cryptic hints and hoped that someone would have heard her.

Apparently no one had, and so all she had was that Missy was parading her across time and space, showing her prize off. There were stories of her all over the spot, but nothing River could get a proper hold of.

"Well, that's unsurprising," the Doctor told her mockingly. "Good thing I have been more productive."

He headed into the TARDIS first but she wasn't far behind her. He stormed up to the console and glass crunched underneath his heavy footsteps. She looked up and saw the mess the closest controls were in.

She followed him up, nodding at Clara who seemed to be the Doctor's main focus at the moment. "Hello again Clara," she greeted the brunette before frowning at the sight of the man next to her. "And a train driver?" she asked, confused.

"Chief Engineer, Ma'am," he corrected and the Doctor motioned to him.

"Perkins, River. River, Perkins," he introduced with a bored tone. Perkins tipped his hat.

"Ma'am," he greeted. "I've found something in the 74th century that might be worth looking into," he told the Doctor. "The Time Child visited with a strange, overexcited companion for three days."

"Good," the Doctor said before turning to Clara. "What about Jack?"

"The TARDIS keeps pointing us to a 21st century version of him," she explained apologetically. "I keep trying to make her go later but..."

He didn't wait for any more information. He flipped a switch by her and they all stumbled just slightly as the TARDIS set into flight. "Don't question the TARDIS," he scolded her. "Not when it comes to Danielle."

Curiously, Clara seemed to shrink away from the Doctor, almost ashamed of her own behaviour and River watched with interest. Clara had always been the boss of the group as far as she was aware. What happened to change the dynamic so drastically?

Clara, on the other hand, moved away from the Doctor and away from the controls he was currently typing on urgently. She was trying to help, but she felt just as helpless as she did when she'd seen Danny Pink being taken away on a stretcher with a blanket over him to keep him from view. She couldn't offer anything. She was too devastated, too numb, too guilty to do anything on her own.

She met River's eye and was surprised by the slight concern that she saw there. River never showed any emotion apart from mild annoyance when talking to anyone but Danni in Clara's limited experience. She just shot her a weak smile in reply and looked back at the console.

It was still a mess from where he'd smashed it to pieces. The glass was still all over the floor and the buttons scattered everywhere from where his travelling had sent them. It was actually a little dangerous to have so much debris everywhere, so she bent down to pick some of it up.

" _Don't touch it!"_

The two women looked at him, surprised at the pure anger on his face. Perkins, on the other hand, didn't look up from his work, as if he was used to the outbursts already. Clara didn't understand that. She'd been there with the Doctor when they'd picked up Perkins and _she_ wasn't used to the wide-eyed fury that he'd show at any moment.

He stalked past her as she stood up, the TARDIS landing as he made his way to the door. " _Leave it where it is,_ " he snarled to them all. "Wait here."

The door slammed behind him and River watched him go, taken aback by his behaviour. "He's terrified," she commented, surprised. She never thought she was see him so emotional over Danni's disappearance. It was only really recently that she'd begun to accept that he did deeply care for her daughter and not be annoyed that Danni loved him back. She expected him to care, to be worried, but he was very quickly coming undone.

"Of course he is," Clara replied. "Part of the reason he's collecting you all is because he genuinely has no idea where to begin and he's stalling. The only clue Missy gave us turned out to be a dead end. She literally could be anywhere or anywhen."

River glanced back at the door and was yet again surprised by how concerned she was for the Doctor. She then turned to the smashed controls. "And I'm guessing he did that?"

Clara took another look at it, but was wise enough to not try and tidy it up. "I guess so," she replied. "He went to find her and when he came back for me it was like that." She motioned to the console. "I'll show you what we've been working on."

River could guess what they were doing just from the context alone but she walked over anyway. "Perkins is looking up any mention of the Time Child that the TARDIS wants to offer us," she explained. "While I've got to narrow down people who can help. He doesn't want me to look for his other bodies just yet, but I've got a list of people," she nodded at the screen, "and I'm basically making my way down it. Perkins was first, you were second, and after Jack we're going to see someone called Martha."

"Martha Jones," River told her. "She was his companion after Rose and before Donna. Who's Missy?"

Clara blinked at her in confusion, glancing over at Perkins who only offered a shrug in return. "Missy," Clara prompted but River really had no idea who that was. "The Mistress?" she offered but there was still no recognition. "The Master?"

Now _that_ name River knew. Clara watched it flicker on her face, the usually rather outspoken but uncaring woman seemed rather horrified for the moment she let it show. Then she turned to the console. "I'll try and see what I can find," she told Clara. "I did a lot of research in university about Danni. I'll be a bigger help there than finding old companions. Martha has dealt with the Master before, that's why we're going after her next."

Clara nodded. "Whatever you think is best," she quickly agreed. She just hoped they could find Danni, and soon. Even with Missy dead, there was still so much that could have happened to her that they'd not saved her from. They needed to find her before something else happened.

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor managed to make a path for himself as he walked down the streets of Cardiff. He wasn't sure why people were moving out of his way – actually, he could feel the look on his face and he knew exactly why. He knew Jack was going to be around here somewhere, but as he hadn't been directly outside the TARDIS when he landed the Doctor was _furious_.

He just felt _so_ angry, and the anger was good. It was fuel, it was the fire he needed because thinking about anything else but how _angry_ he was was just going to lead to disaster. He could be angry at Jack for not being where he was supposed to be. He could be angry at Clara for trying to clean up his mess. He could be angry at the people around him who were slowing down his search because if he thought about her just once…

His steps faltered. He paused in the middle of the busy high street and the whole world fell away. The hustle and bustle fell to a silence that buzzed painfully in his ears. The air around him felt so close it was trying to choke him. And the despair, the hopelessness made his knees weak and his resolve shudder like it was going to fall down.

He didn't let it. He took a breath and harnessed the anger once again. That was what he needed. He needed the energy to push him forward, to help him put one foot in front of the other until he'd walked the universe and found his wife. He had no idea what Missy could have done to her but he needed to save her and he knew there were going to be pieces to put back together again. He needed the strength because chances were that she wouldn't have it. Missy wouldn't have left her alone if something hadn't already happened to ensure that she wouldn't escape.

He spotted Jack coming out of a dark alley next to a cafe and he knew that the ex-time agent probably wasn't up to anything good. Not that it mattered. He stalked over to the other side of the street, where Jack caught sight of him and immediately went on guard.

"Doc," he greeted. "Never thought I'd see you without Danni leading the way."

"She is," he replied. "The Master has her."

Jack straightened, eyes flashing and making him look almost as dangerous as the Time Lord in front of him. He remembered the Master, and he remembered the Year that Never Was vividly. He also remembered the state that the Master had left Danni in. She'd barely been able to stand, and her eyes had only been for the other Time Lord. He knew that somehow, using the phantom noise he'd proclaimed to hear, he'd managed to completely control Danni and that her being back in his company was just going to make that a whole lot worse.

"Where?"

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted. "No one does. I'm here for your help."

All it took was a nod from Jack to tell him he had the immortal man's help and the Doctor turned, stalking back towards the TARDIS. He needed to go to the next stop. He needed all of his friends around him. The people who would help. Who'd never stop looking, who would never stop fighting.

Clara had suggested that he head back to his past selves because if anyone could find Danni, it was him. He agreed. He had a fresh set of regenerations and he'd use every single one if he had to. He'd use his entire life to try and locate her, although he desperately hoped that wouldn't be the case.

He didn't want them to know that he'd failed. That he'd done the one thing they both had done and failed to protect her from the Master. So far he had let him abuse her, then he'd shot her into the Time War to be bewitched by him yet again. Now that she was with Missy he had _no_ idea what was happening to her… Would she bewitch Danielle again? Would she even want to leave?

He slammed the door to the TARDIS open and Jack had to swerve to not be hit by the ricochet. There weren't many people in the console room – he must have been one of the first the Doctor had come for – but he did see River stood by Clara. She looked over and he expected a snarky remark as a greeting. Instead, to his surprise, she just nodded in his direction.

"I've found a mention of her in 13th Century France," River told the Doctor as he stalked over to Clara to follow the trail she had find for Martha. "Apparently a Danni Fielding visited a small village in Southern France..."

"That was us," he dismissed. "We went for the food, ended up spending three days trapped in a dungeon."

The TARDIS shuddered into life and River looked up at the time rotor. "She doesn't seem to be well," she commented. "Perhaps we should stop and take a look..."

"She's fine," he bit back. "She's just upset. Do you blame her?" He stalked past them all, barely paying anyone any attention. His hands were still shaking, he didn't want them to know how much he was falling apart. He didn't need a bunch of panicking morons, he needed an army.

He knocked on the front door of Martha and Mickey's house. His foot bounced impatiently even though the door opened pretty quickly. Martha smiled in surprise.

"Doctor!" she said. "What are you..."

Her smile fell as she noticed just how manic he looked. It was slightly terrifying to see this particular body looking so frantic and disorganised. Even in the brief time she'd spent with him she'd come to realise that he never wanted the universe to see past his outer shell.

"What's happened to Danni?" she asked and he couldn't help but give her the smallest of smiles. Of course Martha Jones would work it out before he'd even had a chance to speak.

"The Master regenerated and has taken her," he told her. Martha took in a hiss of breath, her mind immediately flashing back onto the Valiant much like Jack's had done.

He could see the way he mind immediately started calculating, working out what could have possibly happened and what to do next. She was nothing if not a problem solver.

She glanced back into the house, then turned her attention back to him. "Mickey will be home in an hour," she explained. "I'll need to call my mum about Simon. Come back then."

He nodded, understanding. "Thank you," he offered softly because he couldn't exactly expect her to just abandon her young child, as much as he desperately just wanted her to follow him like River and Jack had done.

He turned to stalk back to the TARDIS but she caught his arm. "Doctor," she said firmly. The voice of a mother who was telling her child that they _weren't_ getting sweets, one that definitely didn't leave room for negotiation. "We'll find her."

He swallowed and he felt his hands starting to shake again. She said it was a conviction that he just couldn't find it within himself to replicate. What if he didn't? What if she was lost in time forever?

He broke out of her grasp and was gone before he could answer her because he didn't trust his answer. He opened the door and Clara frowned when he entered on his own.

"Was she not in?" she asked and he shook his head, setting them into flight.

"She was. We're going back," he explained. "It gave me an idea. I'm dropping you all off. I'm wasting time explaining everything over and over again. You can all," the TARDIS shuddered yet again in a very turbulent flight, "explain and then when we're a group we can move onto what we're doing next."

"And what _are_ we doing next?" Jack asked. "Surely you have a clue of where she is? Or at least when?"

The Doctor paused, his hands clenching on the console and he squeezed his eyes shut. His frustration was flaring at what was actually a rather reasonable question. Heaven forbid anyone ask him something stupid.

"My only lead was a dead end," he replied. "I have nothing else. That's what Perkins is for."

"Alright," Jack drawled. "And you've thought this through, have you?"

The Doctor turned to him. "What do you think?" he asked. "I'm making this up as I go along. It's all I know how to do, and all I have is the hope that I can pull it off one last time. All I know is that she's out there somewhere and she's waiting for me to find her, and so I'm going to. And if you have a problem with that, if _you_ have a better idea, then," he spread his arms out wide, "I am all ears because I am desperate."

Clara stepped forward, a little shakier than she may have been in the past. "Alright, let's not start an argument," she said to the two men. "We don't have time for that. Lets get everyone together then we can work out where to go from there."

The Doctor didn't like the fact that she was right. He also didn't like the fact that Jack hadn't offered another idea for him to follow. He really felt out of his depth, and that happened so rarely it was even more unnerving than normal. He had to be certain, and sure of himself, and of what he was doing if Danni had any chance of being found safe and he had neither of those things.

He turned back to the console, checking the first location again. "I'm going to drop you off one at a time then pick you up an hour later. I expect you all to be ready."

 _~0~0~0~_

It had been a rather dull week in London. There was nothing of any interest to take her attention, and while Vastra was rather content with spending time with her wife that didn't involve being alert or hunting, she did like to keep her mind sharp. When that wasn't done with solving cases, she spent her time doing puzzles. Word puzzles were her favourite, and she took them in her conservatory whilst Jenny attended to the rest of the house. Vastra had told her time and time again that the maid pretence was just that, but Jenny seemed to be rather taken with it despite how she would complain otherwise.

She looked up from her newspaper as Jenny walked in, looking rather spooked and suddenly the alertness was back. Vastra sat up straighter, placing the newspaper down onto her side table and reached for her veil.

"What is it, my love?" she asked her wife.

"We have a visitor, Ma'am," she replied.

Vastra raised her veil. "Very well," she said with a bit of a sigh. "Would they give you any details?"

"No," Jenny replied, which wasn't a rare occurrence. People seemed to think that because she was the maid that she didn't deserve to know anything. "But, Ma'am, the visitor..."

Vastra frowned as the concerned look on her wife's face didn't seem to fade. They'd had many visitors to their little household, and for the most part Jenny took them all in with a confidence and a slight air of annoyance at their attitudes towards her.

"What is it?" Vastra asked.

"It's Professor Song, Ma'am," Jenny replied, much to Vastra's surprised. "She's 'ere. She wanted me to let you know she's on her own."

Vastra brought her veil down, placing it on the table once again. She knew she wouldn't need it with the professor. "Very well," she replied. "Send her in."

She knew that something must have been very wrong if River was visiting them on her own. Her mind raced over the many things that could be happening, but when the other woman entered the conservatory Vastra was none the wiser to what she could possibly need from them.

"Professor Song, this is a surprise," she greeted as River sat down in front of her. "What do we owe this visit to? Surely anything you have come across in our city you can handle yourself?"

River crossed one leg over the other. "Oh, most definitely," she replied cockily. "However, I'm afraid it's much more serious than that." She leant back in the chair. "Do you know anything about the Master?"

Vastra frowned. "I can't say I know that name," she replied. "Although, convention and your appearance would suggest they are something to do with the Doctor?"

River nodded. "What about the name Missy?" Vastra shook her head. "The Master is a Time Lord," she explained. "He and the Doctor grew up together. Legends say that the Master is what the Doctor would be if the Doctor gave into his darkness."

"What do you believe?" Vastra asked.

"I believe it's much more complicated than that," River replied. "The Master hid himself at the end of the universe during the Time War, which means he was not locked away with the Time Lords when the Doctor ended it."

Vastra leant back, pressing her fingers together creating a point. "So he is out in the universe?" she asked. "You think he's here?"

River shook her head. "The Master's goal was always to rule the universe. In the distant future he will become Prime Minister and enact a plan to do just that."

"Was?" Vastra queried, just as River had expected. "What changed?"

"Danni," River replied simply. "His tenure as Prime Minister was short, but it started a time that she calls 'The Year The Never Was'. All but a handful of people will never know it happened."

"And the Doctor and Danielle were right in the middle?"

"Where else would they be?" River countered. "During the time Danni made deals with him, using the knowledge that she had from the universe she grew up in, to ensure the safety of her friends and the Doctor. He manipulated her, made her ill, and abused her in a way that she will never tell you, and I am certainly not going into the details of."

Her voice was hard, and Vastra had no doubts that if she had pressed, River would have left. "And Danielle?"

"During that time his mission changed," River continued. "It stopped being about taking over the universe and became taking it over _with_ her. Then he died and didn't regenerate, but was brought back. I'm not sure of their following encounter, there is not much written in history about it, but it is the reason that despite everything Danni always insisted that he was a good man. He was sucked into the Time War, and that was the last this universe saw of him."

"I'm guessing Missy is another of his regenerations?" Vastra guessed and River nodded.

"It's short for the Mistress, apparently," River offered. "When she regenerated it seems that her mission changed again. She took Danni, and the Doctor said that she was killed by a Cyberman before he could find out where or when. Danni is somewhere in the universe, at any point in history, and we need to find her. You once joined an army to save my mother and you knew when and where she was. Will you help us find Danni?"

"When will the Doctor be back?" she asked River.

"On the hour."

Vastra nodded, turning to her wife. "Jenny, we're going to need to pack. Just the essentials."

Jenny rolled her eyes and turned to River. "What she means is that _I_ have to pack," she translated, sounding much more like the Jenny she normally was, before heading out. River smirked slightly, turning back to Vastra.

"She's quite sassy, isn't she?" River said and Vastra nodded.

"Very much so," she agreed. "What does this Missy want with Danielle?"

"To keep her safe," River explained. "Her version of 'safe', however, is much different from pretty much everyone else's. And with her unable to make it back to Danni we don't know what state she will be when we find her."

"Then we will," Vastra said simply.

 _~0~0~0~_

The universe was wonderful. Jenny could see why her father had taken to it so readily, and why her step-mum was able to just jump right into it with him despite being chucked around his time line. She could travel for the rest of her life and know she had barely scratched the surface. And yet, she would see so much splendour, so much life.

For example, right now she was wading her way through a dark green swamp with a camera in hand, searching for a small bird that she knew only nested within the square mile of where she was stood. She wanted to get a picture of it so that, when she saw the Doctor and Danni again, she could show the picture off. She hadn't seen them in a couple of years now but she wasn't worried. They'd always turn up eventually.

" _Jenny!_ "

She frowned, standing up straighter at the sound of her name. Someone was calling her, which made absolutely no sense because the whole area was uninhabited and she had come on her own. They didn't sound particularly anxious. It was almost like they had been looking for a while and were getting rather bored.

Still, her preprogrammed training kicked in and she kept quiet, looking around for hiding places as well as the quickest way to get out of the swamp and to somewhere more defendable.

" _Jenny!"_ the voice called again before yelling out loudly. " _Oh, for fuck's sake!"_

Jenny frowned to herself. She recognised the voice, didn't she? Was that…

" _Clara?"_ she called out.

" _Jenny?!"_ the voice replied. " _Oh thank god. Wait there… wherever there is! Actually… Can you find me? I have no idea where I am!"_

"Give me a second," Jenny replied, making her way to the edge of the swamp. "Keep talking! What can you see?"

" _Just lots of trees,"_ Clara told her. " _What are you doing in the middle of a jungle?"_

"It's a swamp," Jenny replied as she headed towards Clara's voice. "And I was looking for a bird. It loves the wet environment. I wanted to get pictures."

" _Pictures? You are just like you mother, aren't you?_ "

Jenny chuckled to herself. "She's partly the reason I'm here," she said as she came spotted a flash of something through some bushes. That was Clara. "I knew she wouldn't be happy if I didn't take any."

She pushed through the bushes and saw Clara stood in a small clearing, absolutely covered in the green, thick mud that made up most of the swamps. That explained why she had sworn so loudly. Jenny couldn't help but chuckle again. "Did you fall in?" she asked.

Clara just shot her a look. "It's disgusting," she replied shortly. "How can you stand it?"

Jenny shrugged. "I can get changed," she offered. "It's quite fascinating, really."

"Give me a city break anyday," Clara retorted before shifting on the spot, looking a little nervous. "Look, about your mother..."

"Danni?" Jenny asked, concern rolling over her at the look on Clara's face. "What about her?"

"She's missing," Clara broke apologetically. "Someone's taken her, someone who only wants to hurt her but thinks they're helping her. We don't know where or when, but the Doctor's asked me to..."

"Of course I'll help," Jenny interrupted before Clara could even ask. "Where is he?"

"Dropping off more people to look for help," Clara explained. "He's collecting everyone else he can think of. There's a few of us."

Jenny nodded. "That makes sense," she said as Clara pulled out her phone. "I'm surprised he didn't drop you off closer. Has his driving got worse again?"

"No, I think he did that on purpose," Clara replied softly, not elaborating any more. He'd practically pushed her out of the TARDIS, where she'd almost fallen into the swamp for the first time. Jenny had been nowhere in sight and Clara knew that he was punishing her by making her wander through the jungle enviroment until she found the other woman. She'd only done it because she'd known that his want for help to find Danni would be greater than his anger at her.

Hopefully, anyway. It was a thought that she was clinging to because otherwise she really had no hope that he'd ever forgive her. Part of her, the selfish part, was betting on the idea that what Missy had done would outweigh what she had done. It was a weak hope, but Clara kept it. She didn't want to lose Danni from her life again. She couldn't lose everyone she loved in such quick sucession.

"Why would he do that?" Jenny asked her, confused. Clara looked up from the text to the Doctor she was sending to let him know Jenny had said yes, and wondered if she should tell their daughter the truth. It'd come out eventually, right?

"Oh, he's just pissed off at the universe," she offered instead. "Do you blame him?"

"I guess not," Jenny agreed. "Will he be long?" Clara shrugged. "Well, let's get these pictures anyway, then. She'll appreciate them when we find her."

Clara couldn't help but smile at her surety, but the pulled a face as Jenny headed back into the swamp. "I really don't want to go in there again."

 _~0~0~0~_

The entire ship was protected from any unauthorised teleportation. It always had been, and it always worked. There had been zero unauthorised boardings since the ship first launched, despite numerous attempts.

Now, though, the whole ship was on red alert. The hallways flashed with the red lights that indicated anyone who couldn't or didn't hear the loud alarm that this was the case, and the guards and soldiers were all racing up to the State Room, ready to guard the door and the contents of the room with their lives.

None of them knew what to expect. It would have taken something rather big and insanely powerful to be able to just break through the defences, and yet the alarms had only been triggered because whoever it was had wanted them to be.

They all had steady hands but racing hearts as the figure approached, navy blue coat billowing behind them. They didn't lower their guns but their fear turned to confusion as what approached them was not some terrible beast, but just a humanoid man with black hair and a cheeky grin. He didn't look like a threat, but that didn't mean he wasn't one.

"Hello boys," he greeted jovially as he walked towards them. "Sorry about the noise, I've always liked an entrance."

"Stop where you are," the captain of the group called. "You are in breach of several Imperial laws, including..."

The man stopped in his path, hands up in front of him. "Yes, yes, I know," he interrupted. "I've broken into a heavily armoured ship carrying the Emperor, putting him and everyone else in danger yada yada yada… Look, I don't want to hurt him, I just want to talk to him."

"You will not talk to the Emperor," the captain replied. "You will be arrested under Article 23 of the Shadow Proclamation..."

"Oh, stop that," the man retorted. "You're pretty, but I'm just not interested. But, if you like, let's get straight down to business." His demeanour suddenly changed from flirty and carefree to him standing straight and looking much more foreboding. "You know I'm a threat because I wouldn't have made it this far without being one. There is no doubt in any of your minds that I can wipe you all out with barely any effort, so you know what is stopping me from pushing past you all and finding the Emperor myself?"

There was silence for a moment as the captain decided whether or not addressing him would be wise. "What?" he eventually asked.

The man sighed heavily, like he wasn't surprised by the answer but was terribly annoyed by it. " _Manners_ ," he exclaimed. "Being polite. You know, they really do not cost a thing! Now, be a dear and go tell the Emperor that I would like to talk to him. Tell him the Doctor sent me."

"I cannot allow you access to the Emperor."

"I don't think you have much of a choice," the man replied before pulling out a small device from the pocket of his long coat. Immediately every guard cocked their guns but all he did was hold it up for them to see. "Do you know what this is?" he asked. "It's a detonator. Go and tell the Emperor, or I will set it off before you can shoot me."

His tone was so confident that none of them had any doubt of his abilities. The captain took his time to deliberate over what to do, then he turned to one of his men.

"Go tell the Emperor," he commanded and his guard nodded, darting into the door. He made sure to shut it behind him so that the intruder couldn't get in.

Instead of looking impatient, or angry, or smug as was expected, the man just turned back to the captain and grinned. "So, what's your name?"

The captain frowned. "I don't think it's appropriate to flirt right now," he admitted bluntly.

"Why does everyone always think I'm flirting?" the man exclaimed, holding his hands up in exasperation. "Can't a man just say hello?"

The door opened again and they both looked expectantly at the guard. He looked rather bewildered. "He says to let him in."

"Really?" the captain asked in disbelief, whereas the man just started to walk forward towards the door.

"Thought as much," he told them. "They never say no. Don't wait up."

He disappeared inside, walking up to the throne that sat in the middle of the room. The Emperor, Ludens Nimrod Kendrick Cord Longstaff XLI so he had been told, sat in the middle of the room. The man came to a stop in front of him, giving him a small bow.

"My guard seemed rather scared of you," the Emperor commented. "Apparently you have a device that can blow up the entire ship."

"What, this?" the man replied, holding up his small device. "Nah, this just unlocks my car." He pocketed it again. "You've got to have a little fun, don't you?" He dipped his head again. "Captain Jack Harkness," he introduced. "It's nice to meet you, Porridge."

The Emperor looked slightly surprised. "No one has called me that in quite a while," he said. "So the Doctor did send you?"

Jack nodded. "He would come himself, but he's busy. Danni told me about you, though. She said you tried to help when she wasn't feeling herself."

A fondness appeared on the Emperor's face. "She was sad," he explained. "What does the Doctor want help with?"

"Danni," Jack replied. "She's missing. She was taken by one of the biggest villains the universe has ever seen and we don't know when or where she is. She might not even been in this time period, but we are desperate. As her father, and on behalf of her husband, can you help us?"

Porridge took a moment to think on it. The Doctor and Danni had tried so hard to save them all from the Cybermen at Hedgewick's. If the Doctor needed help then it had to be a dire situation. Even until the moment that he'd had them transported off the planet, the Doctor had fought to stop them himself.

"I will put out the order for her return," he told Jack. "I can have my army search through any leads that we may find."

"Thank you," Jack replied. "The Doctor asks that you contact him straight away if you hear anything," he held out a card to the Emperor. "Obviously, we would rather that only you had the number, but this is the quickest way to get in contact with us."

 _~0~0~0~_

Silhouette felt free. It was something that she never took for granted anymore. Just walking down the street, the sun shining on her face, doing ordinary tasks in between shows, she felt free. Now that she'd had it taken away from her by Milton, even it was just for the shortest time, she knew that she'd never allow anyone to take it from her again.

She smiled at the little ding of the bell above her head as she opened the door to the small cafe. Just enjoying sounds for what they were seemed so much better when she could control what she was feeling. Or, rather, he feelings weren't being controlled at all.

She spotted Affinity sat at the back, his hat still perched on his head. They had once thought about going back to their names before they'd met Milton, but they wore them like a badge of honour now. She walked over to him, her smile slowing falling as she saw him talking to another young woman. She recognised her straight away and Silhouette straightened as she joined them.

"Jenny," she greeted a little more curtly than she might have done anyone else. "I didn't expect to see you again."

"I'm sure you didn't," the young cockney woman agreed. "Unfortunately we 'ave a bit of a emergency and we could use your 'elp."

Silhouette sat down on the third wooden chair around the table. A part of her worried that something else terrible was happening and they were checking with them because they thought that perhaps Affinity or herself had something to do with it.

"I don't see how we can help," she replied. "We haven't done anything since..."

"Oh, I know, don't worry," Jenny quickly reassured her. "No one planned to come find you. We do like to leave people alone it's just… Danni's in trouble."

"Danni?" Affinity asked with a frown. "What could have happened that you need our help?"

"'onestly, we don't know," Jenny admitted bluntly. "She was taken and we don't know where she is, or who she's with. We just know she's in danger."

"And what can we do to help?" Affinity asked.

"I'm sure your set of skills will come in quite 'andy," she said. "The Doctor wanted me to ask you for your 'elp. He wouldn't bother you if he didn't 'ave to, he's..."

"He's desperate," Silhouette finished for her. She turned to Affinity. "I never thought we'd ever have to encounter someone like Milton again," she admitted and he took her hand. "What happened with him was horrible."

"No one is going to force you to do anything," Jenny quickly replied, keeping to herself how insistent the Doctor had been that she retrieved them for his new army.

"We'll help," Silhouette said, surprising her companion who leant in a little closer.

"You don't have to," he told her.

"No, we don't have to do _anything_ ," she agreed. "They saved us from that. It's only right that we offer the same."

"Well, if you wish to help, then I am very happy to come with you," Affinity replied and they both shared a fond smile between them.

It had been easier than Jenny had expected. She'd thought she'd have to try and persuade them, but much like the rest of the Doctor and Danni's friends, they were happy to help when needed. "There's just one more thing I need to tell ya," she said. "The Doctor and Danni, their 'ome is called the TARDIS..."

 _~0~0~0~_

The TARDIS was quiet when she landed. He hadn't changed any of the settings, but the Doctor knew it wasn't because of anything he did. His time machine could be very unpredictable at times, but sometimes he could read her as well as she could read him.

She was quiet because she was sad. And she was quiet because he was sad. They were both quiet because they were both devastated.

Now he was on his own, with only Perkins quietly researching away across the room, he could allow himself to feel it heavily. He pressed a hand against the console and took a deep breath in, letting it wash over him. The complete and utter uncertainty of what was happening felt like it was crushing him.

He just hoped that he was doing the right thing. It was exactly what Missy had wanted him to do – find an army and rage across the universe – but he hoped it was the right direction. Missy had wanted him away from Danni, he just wanted to move closer.

"Sir," Perkins called over, not looking up from his work. "Your wife is waiting."

It was a gentle reminder, but it did pull the Doctor out of his head for a moment. He walked over to the door. "Thank you, Perkins," he called back. There was no bite to his tone. He was genuinely happy that he'd picked up Perkins. Danni had liked him. She'd said he'd reminded her of her husband. It was the closest the Doctor was going to get to contacting his other selves.

Outside the air was warm, signalling that while summer hadn't quite finished, it was going to be rather soon. The street wasn't particularly busy but he'd chosen a quieter time of the day to land. The house in front of him was modest but very homely, and he knew that he was in the right place.

He hesitated before knocking. He hadn't wanted to come back without Danielle. This felt so _wrong_.

The door opened and the ginger woman that answered looked at him with the faint annoyance of someone who didn't want to be dealing with people today. "Yes?"

He couldn't help but smile slightly, even if it was a poor attempt at one. Still so very _Scottish_. "Hello Amelia."

She frowned, straightening slightly before looking him over with a critical eye. She glanced over his shoulder and saw the TARDIS and her face broke out into a grin. "Doctor?" He nodded and she almost launched herself forward, hugging him tightly. "Doctor!"

Normally he wasn't quite the hugging person, but he wrapped her up in one in return tightly, terrified to let her go. He had thought seeing her would flood him with memories of the last time he had seen them both. He had thought he'd be overwhelmed with images of graveyards and Weeping Angels, of his wife dying at his hand. But instead he couldn't move past why he was there in the first place.

She broke the hug first and he followed her lead. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow," she told him.

"Tomorrow?" he repeated, confused and she nodded.

"Yeah, for Tony's birthday," she told him before rolling her eyes. "Misaimed again, eh? Some things never do change."

He could have laughed. "That's why the date stuck out to me," he commented to himself. "I did wonder where it had come from."

"Stuck out?" she repeated before looking around, seemingly noticing something was awry. "Where's Danni?"

There it was. The answer stuck in his throat for the first time and all he could do was swallow and stare back at Amy. How was he supposed to tell her he'd let her down too? Just like he'd let down Amy and Rory.

Amy saw the struggle on his face. She'd seen her Raggedy Man upset before, she could recognise it on every face he'd ever have, even if this one wasn't quite so raggedy anymore. Although, the redness of his knuckles and the mess that was his hair weren't exactly clean cut. She wanted to prod more, press him until he told her, but instead she let her face soften.

"Come inside," she commanded gently and he shook his head.

"I can't," he replied. "I- I need to find Danni. She's..." He swallowed again, the lump building up as it tried to choke him. "The Master has her trapped somewhere. She's in danger. Missy – the Master – she..."

Amy remembered mentions of the Master. Mostly she remembered not being able to talk about the other Time Lord, but she could also remember the tension that would appear if the Master was even hinted at. She'd learnt after her first attempt at talking about the other man to just not even try.

"Who's Missy?" she asked.

"The Master's newest regeneration," the Doctor replied. "She's the one who… Who took Danni… My Danni-Girl..."

His hands were shaking again. He hated when they did that, but it was where the energy seemed to want to escape him. When he couldn't get angry anymore his hands would start to shake and until he could squash the feeling down they wouldn't stop.

Amy seemed to notice this. "Come inside," she tried again and he shook his head.

"I can't," he reiterated. "I'm building an army to find her."

"Just like you did for me," Amy said with a little fond smile he didn't join in with. Amy's army had been easy. He had known where they'd taken Amy and it was just some poxy little religious cult. He knew he'd have no problems stopping them. Of course, losing Melody had been the biggest blow but actually finding and saving Amy had been easy. With Danni he had nothing. No location, no time zone. Just one confirmed sighting by Clara that _no matter how hard he tried_ , the TARDIS wouldn't let him go to. He was always just too late. He was sure it was the TARDIS trying to stop him interfering, after all even he had to admit that Danni wouldn't even be there to be saved if Clara hadn't stopped the Great Intelligence.

It was an annoying but true fact. He didn't have to like it.

"I need to go pick them up," he explained. "Amelia..." There it was again. That lump. He wanted to ask her if she and Rory would join in the search, but instead a pathetic little plea fell from his lips. " _Please help me_."

She nodded. "Of course," she replied surely, as if he'd had any reason to doubt them. "But come inside. It wasn't a request." She stepped out of the way, motioning him inside without room for argument.

He still rolled his eyes as he stepped in. "Little Amelia Pond," he said with a drawl. "Always looking after me."

"Of course," she replied. "Guess what?" He turned to her, brows furrowed. "Gotcha."

He actually laughed. A little bark that broke through everything and the tears started falling. She quickly pulled him in for another hug for just a moment, before pulling back with a stern look on her face.

"After we've found her," she told him firmly and he nodded, running a hand over his tired face. There was no time for him to break down.

"Of course," he agreed. He knew he could pull himself together until they found Danni. It was the culmination of everything that was happening. He needed to get his act together.

Amy led him into the living room where Rory and Brian were sat, both reading the newspaper in unison. They both looked up.

"Hello?" Rory greeted, a little confused as he looked to his wife.

"Oh. Rory, Doctor," she waved her hand to the Doctor and Rory blinked in surprise before jumping out his seat.

"Doctor? Wow, I wasn't expecting..."

"Yeah, we've done all that," Amy dismissed and Rory sighed like it was an everyday occurrence. "Danni's missing."

A silence fell over the room as Rory's face went from shocked, to horrified, to anger and then to determination. His back straightened and he suddenly became a man ready to battle for his family.

Then he broke the atmosphere with one small question. He shoulders sagged and an exasperated look overtook everything else.

"I don't have to dress up like a Roman, do I?"

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Oh, what a lovely response to the prologue. Thank you all very much. I hope you all liked this chapter too :)_

 _Reviews :)_

 _ **Midnight** **Alley** \- Thanks sweetie! I do the same, it's nice to know other people are inflicted the same way :P_

 _ **whitedwarf** \- Oh, you know I love your long reviews :D I'm glad I'm still managing to keep you on your toes, I hope I can do the same in this story as well! I shall always strive to surprise you all :D_

 _ **BlueFlame27** \- I'm glad you're liking it so far! Yeah, she's got the touch of Amy this time around XD_

 _ **bwburke94** \- I can't really say what the next big bad is. Missy, though, is not to be trifled with._

 _ **Authora97** \- It's just what I do :P_

 _ **silverhawk88** \- I feel I answered this in your PM XD_

 _ **erika** \- Yes :D :D_

 _ **bored411** \- I think everyone is. He's on his way, though :)_

 _ **Jojo** \- Thanks sweetie! I wouldn't take the Christmas Special as everything that he knows, after all it was a dream-like state for both of them. We'll see more and more of him finding out as the story progresses :)_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- I know! Pretty much, yeah :D xxx_

 _ **Quinnmarie** \- Thanks sweetie! It's just her regeneration. With her not being fully Time Lord her regenerations are a little spotty. Hope you liked this one :)_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie!_


	3. Searching

Danni's eyes snapped open and she shot up into a sitting position. She felt like she'd done it before, but she wasn't quite sure. Her mind felt blurry, and when she reached out to find Theta to get her bearings, she found nothing.

Her bedroom was still wrong. She was still in the dark room she'd originally woken up in, and a quick, panicked pull on her arm said that she was still chained up to the bed. She growled, this time she felt angry rather than terrified, and started struggling against the chain. It didn't budge, but she felt a _lot_ better than she would have if she'd just sat back, waiting for Missy to reappear.

When the door opened, though, she jumped and turned around, glaring at the figure in the doorway and scrambling to her feet. "Stay away from me."

Huh, she was Scottish now. Amy would approve.

"Oh, Danielle, there really is no need for that," Missy replied and Danni had the horrifying notion that, maybe, that was where she'd gotten the accent from. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Danni let out a bark of laughter. "Not going to hurt me?" she repeated in utter disbelief. "You fucking _killed_ me!"

"Hey now." Missy placed her hands on her hips. "I won't have swearing in my house. That is definitely something we're going to have to work on. Honestly, and I was bringing you a gift as well."

Immediately Danni was suspicious. She didn't know a lot about this version of the Master, although as her memories currently included being snogged and then killed by her, but she suspected that her gift wasn't going to be something that she would actually want.

"What is it?" she asked.

Missy looked positively overjoyed that Danni was playing along. A grin spread on her face. "I know you're going to love it," she said confidently. "Honestly, I think it's the best gift I've ever given anyone. And I give fantastic gifts. I actually once took over an entire planet to give to a friend of mine." She turned to the doorway, looking out. "You can come in now."

A million different people ran through her head, all making her hearts race in hopeful anticipation. She doubted it was the Doctor just by the way Missy had spoken to them. Perhaps Clara, or someone else like Jenny, or Jack, or even River. Any of them would be welcome right now. Two heads were better than one and they could work out how to escape together.

She didn't expect Missy's exact double to step in, looking over her with a look of surprise. "Well, I didn't think we could pull this off, but you actually did it," she commented, sounding incredibly impressed with herself. "How did you manage that?"

"Oh, you'll work it out," the original Missy said offhandedly, trying to be modest. "You know I can't give you too many hints."

"It wouldn't be any fun if you did," the new Missy agreed before looking back over at Danni. "Was it easy, though?"

"So easy," the original Missy promised. "It was a little embarrassing, to be perfectly honest."

Danni looked between the two. They were dressed pretty similarly, their ways of talking were the same. They were definitely the same woman. The way they were talking about her, though, was incredibly alarming. She felt like she was in a glass cage and they were watching her from a distance. It was almost like she was some sort of animal they were going to experiment on.

"Well, I would love to stay and chat, but I have my own Danielle to get back to," the original Missy stated suddenly. She turned and started out of the door. "Keep your eye on this one," she warned herself. "She's quite slippery."

"Wa-Wait a minute!" Danni cried after her, but the door was shut behind her and she was left with the younger Missy. She slowly turned back to look at her. Missy seemed to be observing her, head tilted slightly to the side and Danni backed up slightly.

"There's no need to be scared, my Pet," Missy told her, walking over slowly. Danni couldn't help but feel like she was being preyed on, and that was definitely something to be frightened of.

"She said that too," she replied. "And yet I'm chained to a bed. I think I really should be scared."

Missy stopped where she was, nodding with a thoughtful look on her face. "You were always very smart," she told Danni, who didn't really know what to do with that particular piece of information. It sounded like a compliment but it didn't feel like one. "Of course you're going to be scared. Any sane person would be. But I'm going to show you there really is no need to be. That's why the future me dropped you off; to give me time to make sure you're not scared anymore."

"Just let me go," Danni begged. "The Doctor won't stop looking for me."

"Oh, he will," Missy promised in return. "I know he will. He'll find something bigger and better to keep his attention. You'll realise that soon enough. I've known him longer than you, after all."

Danni looked back down at where she was chained up. She didn't have any way of escaping it unless someone let her out, and while she had complete faith her husband wouldn't leave her to Missy's mercy, she didn't know how long she could be trapped with her. Days? Weeks? Oh, hopefully not months…

"Why are you doing this?" Danni asked her softly. "I don't remember much about Gallifrey but we were working together. You tried to save me."

Missy smiled warmly, as if she remembered their brief time in the Time War together fondly. "Why?" she repeated before reaching out. She grabbed Danni's face, squeezing it hard and her fond look fell away to an anger that actually scared Danni again. "Because you _left me,"_ she bit out. "I helped you escape but you didn't wait for me, did you?"

Danni pushed her away, using all the give in the chains to push herself backwards and onto the bed, where she bounced slightly. "I don't remember," she exclaimed. "I barely remember being shot, or dying!"

"Oh, of course you don't," Missy scoffed. "Why would you? Forgot all about me, didn't you?"

Danni's eyes narrowed. "Of course I bloody didn't," she retorted. "Believe it or not, you're pretty unforgettable."

Missy seemed to like the compliment and she backed off slightly. "I know," she said modestly. "That's why I realised that it wasn't you. The Danielle _I_ knew would have found her way back to save me. She always was so _weak_ to the plight of others. She wouldn't have left me to Rassilion's mercy."

Danni shifted slightly as she stood back up, making sure to keep as much distance between them as she could. It wasn't much, and she was still trapped, but it was enough. The worst part was that Missy was right. Especially when she had been that young, and confused, she wouldn't have left the Master to die in the Time War had she thought that she had a way back in.

"If I could have, I would have returned the favour," Danni reluctantly agreed and Missy smiled. She reached out, but instead of grabbing her face she ran her fingertips down her cheek.

"I know, my Pet," she replied. "I know that you and your silly little husband didn't have any clue on how to get back in. I'm bonkers, not an idiot. But… I also know all those tales that people have been telling you about me. All those hundreds of years you've had with them twisting our… well, our time together. I've brought you here, my Pet, to keep you safe from all the noise of the universe."

Danni's brows furrowed. "Hang on," she started, slowly. "Have you kidnapped to, like, de-program me?"

Missy continued to touch her face, stroking her hair back and off her face as she looked over her, like a parent looking over a child. "That's it exactly," she praised. "We'll sort you all out, my Pet. Then, when you're by my side again, I can rule the universe properly."

Danni tried not to flinch as Missy leant forward, placing a kiss on her forehead. "You're safe now," Missy promised tenderly.

"I'll never stand by your side while you're trying to take over the universe," Danni replied firmly. "The Doctor will save me."

Missy didn't say anything. In fact, she seemed to turn away to walk out. It was show of power, Danni could tell. She didn't _need_ to answer Danni, after all she was the one in control. She was the one who currently had the newly ginger woman chained to a bed.

Danni was more shocked than hurt when she turned back around, backhanding her. She fell onto the bed and Missy sighed, like it had been an inconvenience for her to do it.

"Danielle," she started. "You'll understand soon enough. You'll even _thank_ me for this."

Danni's lips pulled into a snarl. "I'm not staying here," she promised. "The Doctor is going to save me. He's always coming for me."

"My Pet, you haven't learnt, have you?" Missy replied. "You're _mine_. The Doctor doesn't want to come for you."

She locked the door behind her as she left Danni on the bed, a loud clunking sound letting Danni know she was well and truly being held captive.

She slowly reached up to her throbbing check, cradling it in her hand. The Master hadn't hit her last time. On the Valiant he had gone to hit her, but he'd not been able to bring himself to. Even when he'd hurt her just before he'd sacrificed himself and had been sucked into the Time War he'd been almost apologetic about it.

Her hearts raced, her predicament washing over her so much she felt like she was being suffocated. She instinctively reached out for her husband but he wasn't there. Until he came for her, she was well and truly on her own.

What was Missy going to do?

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor looked over the group of people he'd gathered. He held his hands clasped behind his back, looking over them like the general that everyone in the universe seemed to think he was.

Inside he wasn't. Inside his head he was grabbing at the very last strings of his calmness, trying to put himself together quicker than he was falling apart.

"If Danielle was here, she would be thanking you all," he started authoritatively. "She's always been polite like that. We don't have time for pleasantries. There's a few things that you need to know." He took a step towards them. "The Master was dangerous. Some of you will remember him." He glanced over at Martha and Jack, whose expressions had hardened at the mention of him. "Most of you won't. To go in believing Missy has calmed since then would be foolish. You cannot underestimate the planning that she would have put into taking Danielle."

He paused, looking over his friends again. They were all stood waiting for their instructions, all serious and willing to just drop everything to help save his wife. He knew he'd look back on this fondly. There were times when he felt like he and Danni were always going to be alone, but then memories like this – of their friends all together – reminded them both that they still had a family out there.

"What's going to happen is this; Perkins here," he nodded to Perkins, "is going to give you times and places Danielle has been spotted, or mentioned. I'm going to drop you off and then you're going to ring me when you've either found something or haven't."

"What will you be doing?" Jenny – his daughter, _that_ was going to be confusing – asked.

"The same," he replied. "We've got Kate and UNIT on Earth searching around whatever Missy got her grubby hands on. Wilf and his band of merry old biddies are combing their neck of the woods. Jack managed to even get an Emperor to send an army out to scour a galaxy. There's people all over looking for her. _We_ are going everywhere else."

"What I don't understand is how she got close enough to Danni to get her," River stated. Clara winced slightly as the Doctor's eyes darkened at the statement. It was all her fault, she knew that. Whatever was happening to Danni right now was her fault, and even if it wasn't the Doctor was going to be blaming her. Hell, she was blaming herself. Lord only knew what Danni was going through and whatever it was, Clara knew her actions had led to it.

"One of our friends thought that instead of asking for our help, killing her would be the best option," he bit out. "I lost focus and Danielle was hurt. Blaming will get us nowhere until we find her. Perkins!" He turned to the engineer. "I hope you've got something good for us."

He stepped forward. "I've got a bunch of different sightings," he explained. "And stories that I think are to her. I thought we should start with the ones that sounded most like your wife, sir, and move on from there." He held out a handful of paper and the Doctor snatched it off him.

"Excellent work," he praised offhandedly. "Right. First is the 51st century. Jack, that's you..."

 _~0~0~0~_

It felt like Danni felt her whole time jumping these days. Whenever there was a loud noise, whenever the door opened, whenever something changed she felt like she was jumping into action. With each new perceived threat, she felt like she needed to be on her guard, turning defensive and ready to attack.

She had been allowed to stay in the bedroom without the chain on over the last week or so, which was a major improvement on her life so far. Missy hadn't been particularly bothered with her, which was slightly worrying but it also gave her time to just sit and relax. The Doctor was coming for her. She just had to wait until he found her. A month of so out of her life wasn't exactly much of anything. She just missed him terribly.

So, when the door opened and he came rushing in, she relaxed and could have cried. "Doctor!"

He looked her over, frowning. "Sorry, I was looking for my wife," he told her. "Don't mind me. Go back to your… well, whatever you were doing."

It took her a moment to wonder why he didn't recognise her, but when it hit her that she'd changed, she just shook her head. "Theta, it's me," she said. This time he looked over her as if he was trying to work out if she was lying.

"Danielle?" he asked slowly and she grinned, nodding. His frown broke away for his giant grin and she ran over to be caught in his arms.

"Oh, I have missed you," she told him happily as he hugged her tightly. "I didn't think you were ever coming."

"You were quite hard to find, my Pet," he replied. "I had to gather a group of our friends just to look for you. The fact that I have taken such a short time is simply marvellous."

She nodded, agreeing. "You are wonderful, and clever, and we all know that," she promised him. "Who did you gather?"

"Oh, that's not important," he told her, backing her towards the bed slowly. "We've got plenty of time, and I've missed my wife."

She giggled as he dipped his head, nuzzling against her face. "We really don't have time for this," she said.

"Of course we do," he replied. "We have all the time in the universe." He pushed her back onto the bed. "Tell me you love me."

She frowned. She was always happy to say it to him. It very rarely needed prompting, and she loved to hear it in return. But the way he asked sat funny. She didn't want to say it, and she really didn't like the fact that she didn't.

Instead she shot him a cheeky smirk. "Why should I?" she retorted. "You have to _earn_ it."

The flash of anger on his face startled and scared her. Even when they had been struggling with their marriage that look had never been sent towards her and she was so glad it never had. It was only on his face for a second, but it was enough to chuck her out of the moment.

"Tell me you love me," he repeated again, his voice smooth but firm. She shook her head slightly.

"No," she told him. She slipped out from underneath him. "Let's go. You said people were helping you and they'll be waiting."

The Doctor sighed heavily, like he was annoyed, then grabbed her arm. He pulled her close, glaring angrily into her eyes. She yelled out but he held her tightly.

"Theta! Let me go!" Danni exclaimed, fighting against him.

"Tell me something nice," he demanded and she shook her head.

"I won't tell you anything! Let me go!" She stopped fighting and instead pushed against him. He seemed surprised and let her go, but she hadn't expected it to actually work so she fell back onto the floor.

She looked up at him, ready to argue and scream at him at him for being so out of character, but the words caught in her throat. The Doctor wasn't staring back at her, Missy was and suddenly she felt even more scared.

"I was going to let you out today," Missy told her, not sounding as angry as she looked. "But until you say something nice, you can just stay in here."

Missy stepped over her like she was a discarded piece of clothing, shutting the door behind her without a look back.

Danni didn't get up off the floor as she almost shook, terrified of what just happened and just what it meant. She and the Doctor had played with mental images before. There had been a wonderful night with Eleven where he brought out Ten for her for a little while. But she'd always known that it wasn't real. She hadn't suspected it wasn't the Doctor for a second. Missy had completely fooled her. What if she did it again? Would she fall for it? How was she ever going to know if the Doctor was really the Doctor?

She pulled her legs close, wrapping her arms around her knees as she stayed on the floor. She really was in trouble, wasn't she?

 _~0~0~0~_

The air was warm with explosions. Alarms rang and guns were fired, but nothing seemed to stop the man in his tracks. His walk was confident, back straight with purposeful strides as he swiftly made his way to the main control room. The grey of his hair was deceiving, and he held himself as a man much younger than himself would.

The Sontaran ship he was currently one was under some sort of mass panic just at his presence, and he couldn't blame them. His anger burnt deep and he knew what was at the end of the corridor was one step in many to help him find what he wanted. He wasn't going to give up just because some short potato people had decided they didn't want to give up the information he'd so politely asked for.

He walked into a control room full of creatures with guns, but they didn't make him flinch. He'd lived too long, been through too much for them to even bother him. Instead he just raised his hand, pressing the button on the device he'd held so tightly his knuckles had turned white. Another part of the ship was sent into chaos as it was demolished from the inside.

"You will surrender!" the Sontaran exclaimed. Another push of the device and something else exploded somewhere else on the ship. It wasn't enough to break the outer shell, but it would be soon enough. They all knew it. They were scared. As they should be.

"I believe I asked you a question," Rory retorted in a snarl. "Where is my granddaughter?"

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni pressed herself up against the wall, panting heavily as she tried to hide herself down the little hallway as much as she could. She had no doubt that there were cameras everywhere, but she didn't have much of a choice but to try and not get caught. She couldn't stay a moment longer. She needed to get out and to the Doctor.

Missy had not been kind. She'd decided that Danni just couldn't see how her husband just didn't care about her, so had taken to showing her times she had deemed proof that the Doctor was, in fact, showing her that he didn't care. All Danni saw was more proof of what she already knew; that the Doctor loved her dearly. She just couldn't wait for him to try and find her anymore. She needed to get out.

Missy had taken her down memory lane using a vortex manipulator that she kept locked up in an office room in… well, wherever she was being kept. Danni still couldn't get that information out of her because Missy was worried that she would leave clues that the Doctor would find.

She wasn't wrong, which was annoying.

But the second vortex manipulator was kept in the office and that was where Danni was running to. She wasn't the best driver, of either the TARDIS or of manipulators, but River had shown her a couple of things over their time together. And there was one set of coordinates that she did know off by heart. River had found them quite amusing, once, when she'd taken Danni back to see Eleven. They had represented the date that River had first met Danni, back when she'd been a child and Danni hadn't known anything about her true parentage.

She'd seen Eleven that day, and he'd once made her promise to find him if the Master had ever come back for her. Well, there was _no_ denying that now, was there? He could help her get away and back to her own Doctor. He'd always help her. He _loved_ her.

The moment she felt it safe to, she started running again. The office door wasn't far from here. She could taste freedom. She just needed to grab that manipulator and she could get his help and then she could go home.

She chucked open the door. She grinned. Missy wasn't there. She could just grab it and go. She rushed over to the cabinet where Missy kept the manipulator and opened it, frowning when she couldn't see it in her first once over of the shelves.

"No, no," she whispered to herself, moving things out of the way, going as far as just chucking them onto the floor. "Where is it?" she bit out. "Where are you?"

She slammed the doors shut and turned around, rushing over to the next one. Missy had a lot of storage, none of which seemed to match. Again she pulled out everything, chucking it to the floor with no care at all. With each item that wasn't the manipulator her panic rose until she was scattering paper across the room.

"Where is it?" she exclaimed. "Where is it?"

"Are you looking for this?"

Danni spun to look at the door, where Missy was stood, leaning against it with the vortex manipulator dangling from her pinched thumb and finger. While her fear rose just at the sight of the other Time Lady, Danni's anger flared and she stormed forward.

"Give me it," she demanded.

"Not while you're not going to use your manners," Missy tutted at her. "I've been told that you're the polite one."

Danni's hands clenched by her side, and she had to resist the need to just pounce at Missy. She wanted to strangle her, rip her to shreds, but neither of these would do her any good. Missy was clever and if Danni didn't play along with her little games then she'd make sure that Danni got nothing she wanted.

" _Please_ give me it," Danni demanded through gritted teeth.

Missy looked up, thoughtful for a moment. "No," she replied and Danni growled angrily.

"Give me the fucking manipulator, Koschei," she snarled. "This has gone on long enough. I'm going back to my husband."

As Missy started walking into the room at a steady pace towards her, Danni's fear flared up once again. She took a couple of steps backwards but with nowhere to go, Missy was in front of her before she could get very far.

"You miss him terribly, don't you?" she asked Danni. "For some reason you just won't let him go. I've tried positive reinforcement-"

" _When_ exactly did you try that?"

"-And I've tried time outs, but it doesn't seem to be working. I guess I'll just have to try something else." Missy's hand shot out, grabbing Danni by the wrist and pulling her close. Danni fought back but Missy still managed to snap something around her wrist, it securing into place with a metallic sound that Danni knew she'd never be able to break open.

She looked at the black band on her wrist, one that didn't look dissimilar to the vortex manipulator she had been seeking, and frowned. "What is that?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well, how else do you train a dog that won't behave?" Missy asked in return. "Do you miss the Doctor? A simple yes or no will do."

Danni's brows furrowed as she looked over the band before raising her gaze. "Yes, I do."

She screamed as a large shock radiated from her wrist, shooting painfully through her whole body, warming up every cell it hit. Her knees gave way as the short electric shock ended and she panted at the adrenaline that was running through her.

"It's a shock collar, dearie," Missy explained with the voice of someone talking to an idiot. "Well, a shock bracelet. I tried to be nice, but now I'm going to have to be firm." She reached out and pulled Danni up onto her feet, stroking her hand through her hair to try and tame it. "I don't like doing this, you know?" she continued. "I remember a time when I could control you so easily. I could have made you forget all about the Doctor if I'd wanted to."

"Yeah, well, not all regenerations can be an upgrade," Danni bit out. "Sometimes you have to get a dud. Luck of the draw, I guess."

"You should be happy," Missy corrected her sharply. "He tried to force you to love him. I'm helping you learn it yourself."

"What? By trapping me and… and _shocking_ me when I don't do as I'm told? Seems pretty forceful to me."

"Being trapped isn't all that bad, is it?" Missy countered as she nudged Danni forward to take her back to her room. "And if you behave, I'll take you somewhere nice tomorrow. For now, though, I think some time alone may help with your attitude problem."

Danni sighed as she saw Missy put the vortex manipulator into the top of her dress, hiding it from view. Her opportunity to leave was gone, and with it a little bit of her motivation left as well.

"Yes, Missy," she replied softly, dutifully following her into the hallway and back to the room.

It was strange. She really was starting to miss the Master. She never thought she'd see the day she'd wish to see his face again.

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara really didn't want to enter another dingy hovel, but there she was, sat next to River as they waited on some person who apparently had information on the Time Child. That's what River had said, anyway. The Doctor had paired them off a while ago after picking Clara up from the 64th century after her lead had taken her to Danni and his tenth body, and not to anything useful.

"This is disgusting," Clara murmured with a little bit of a shiver, pulling her jacket closer around her. "I really hope that this is a dead end. God only knows what's happening to Danni if there's any connection to here."

"I'm sure she can handle something much worse than this," River retorted. "But I can't help but agree. I don't think this will come to much. This doesn't seem to fit the Master's M. O. at all. Hopefully it won't take too long; if we're not careful we could be sold off to the highest bidder."

Clara stared at her, wide eyed and horrified. "Could that really happen?" she hissed.

River shook her head. "No," she replied and Clara relaxed. "Well, not me at any rate. I'm armed and I can fight. You on the other hand are fair game."

Clara glared at her before wrapping her arms around herself. "It's like he's trying to punish us," she muttered.

"Again, that'd be just you," River replied. "That's what you get for killing Danni." Clara's gaze snapped back to her, terrified for another reason. River rolled her eyes. "He wasn't exactly subtle, was he? A friend who killed her instead of asking for help? It was obviously you."

"I didn't..." Clara protested, but she couldn't finish her sentence. She shifted in her seat. "I was upset. My boyfriend, Danny, had just..." Again, that wasn't a sentence she could finish. Her throat tightened and the grief came back. "I just wanted them to bring him back, that was all. Danni said it was just a dream and that I wouldn't have done it in real life. The Doctor disagreed."

"What about you?" River countered. Clara couldn't meet her in the eye.

"I want to believe her," she replied softly. "But I was hurting so badly that I… I never wanted her to get hurt. I _certainly_ never wanted that horrid woman to get her hands on her."

River nodded slowly, as if she was listening and processing what Clara was saying. "Let me tell you two things about me, Clara," she started. "One; Danni is the most important thing in my life." That wasn't news, but Clara didn't interrupt. "Two; Danni did _not_ get her forgiving nature from me. I am armed pretty much all of the time and am more than happy to use it against anyone who has hurt her. I'll even use it against someone who had hurt the Doctor because that, in turn, would hurt her. Understand?" She looked out of the side of her eye. "You've hurt both of them, Clara."

Clara didn't like the look that was being sent her way. She suddenly felt a lot more unsafe, and not because of the people they might come across. "Then- then why am I still here?" she asked with the hint of a stutter.

"Do you think Danni would ever speak to me again if I hurt you?" River countered. "Plus, you're a good bargaining chip. I can sell you for a lot of information if the opportunity comes up." She sat a little straighter, nodding her head in greeting as a rather large… well, Clara didn't want to assume anything about the Cat person. Last thing she wanted to do was upset anyone else.

"Professor Song," he greeted in a purr. "I didn't think I'd see you around these parts again."

"Well, I don't normally like to lower myself to these standards, but sometimes needs must," River replied with a bit of a sneer. She reached into the jacket pocket and pulled out a small black pouch. Clara couldn't help but feel like she was in a movie as River chucked it onto the table in front of us and it jingled with the sound of coins. "Let's cut to the chase, Frank. I want information on the Time Child and I know you have it."

The Catkind picked up the back, giving it a little shake before opening the drawstring top. He peered inside, then up at River. "Last I heard, she was travelling with her husband about three planets over. They were on their own, from what I heard."

River deflated slightly, conflicted over the happiness that her daughter wasn't trapped in a sleazy place and the disappointment of finding yet another dead end.

"Are you sure?" Clara asked. "No woman dressed like Mary Poppins? Scottish accent? Completely insane?"

Frank ignored her question, turning to River to share a look that said 'Who the hell is this?'. River pulled out another pouch and chucked it at him. This time he didn't check inside. "Oh, her?" he asked them. They both looked at him sharply, hope rising. "She came on her own. Called herself Missy. She just wanted one of our restraints we use for our livestock."

Clara's stomach turned at the idea of what the 'livestock' could be. Perhaps, once they'd found Danni, they could come back and fix the state this planet was obviously in. "Restraints?" she asked instead.

"We use shock bracelets," he explained. "One touch of a button and it'll take even the largest animal down. They're to stop things running away." He put the two small pouches into his own pocket. "Anything else, Professor?"

"No, that's it. Thanks." River stood up and motioned with her head to Clara, walking off before she'd even had a chance to stand up. She jogged to catch up with her, pulling out her phone.

"Hey, Doctor, it's Clara..."

 _~0~0~0~_

The little cupcake sat on the bedside table, one solitary candle stuck in the icing as it taunted her. Danni really was trying to not look at it, but yet she couldn't stop her gaze falling on it again and again.

Missy had brought it in for her. Said that, even though her attitude was still horrid, that it was a day to celebrate. Danni could understand why she would feel like that, but even thinking about why had her hearts clenching and her eyes welling up with tears.

One year.

It had been one year since she'd first woken up in the bedroom. One year since Missy had taken her hostage. She had been trapped with the madwoman for a year now. She'd not been home in a year. She'd not seen her husband in a year. She'd not been a free woman in a year.

She had thought that, should she have reached this milestone, she would be trying to break free herself. She'd tried more than a couple times over the last twelve months and she would have put money on her wanting to do it now. But she couldn't find the motivation.

Why hadn't he saved her yet? If he had been missing she would have been fighting so hard to find him, to bring him home. Was he even looking for her? Was Missy right? Had he just given up on finding her? Did he not care?

She didn't like to think like that. She didn't even know where or when she was, and the universe was infinite and time was practically so. If he had zero information as well, he'd have to find it, then follow it, and then find her. It was going to take time and effort and she knew she was being stupid wondering if he even wanted to find her anymore.

But if he'd found the information, wouldn't he come as soon as he could, even if he had to cross over his own timeline to do so? He'd always gone on and on about how he didn't care about rules when it came to her, but when it came down to it, was he just proving that it was all talk?

She leant her head against the back of the bed, her eyes streaming as she struggled not to cry.

"Theta, where are you?" she whispered. "Please, just find me."

 _~0~0~0~_

" _Hey, Doctor, it's Clara. No sign of Danni here, but Missy apparently came on her own. Something about an electric restraint. I don't think it's anything to worry about, but it may be a lead to look into._ "

 _Beep._

" _Doctor, it's Mickey. We've got nothing. Martha was almost captured and worshipped as a goddess, but I managed to stop it. They're not happy. Pick us up now._ "

 _Beep._

" _Doctor, there may be a sighting of her back in 21_ _st_ _century earth. Something about Cybermen taking over a department store. Come pick us up and we can look. Oh, it's_ _\- it's_ _Rory._ _In case you didn't know._ "

 _Beep._

The Doctor leant his head against the console, eyes closed as the messages continued to play. It was the first time he'd stopped in months, but it was so needed as much as he didn't want to pause. He'd been so many places, to see so many people who had disappointed him and wasted his time. It was approaching a year without a single positive lead on his wife. It was like Missy had found every mention of her and wiped out anything remotely pointing to them both. He knew it was impossible, but he couldn't help but wonder how she did it.

He'd needed to take a pause. The hopelessness of the situation was threatening to overwhelm him, and he had taken to listen to old messages to try and find _something_ he might have missed. As they searched more, the sightings became less and less solid. Hints of whispers, ones that were obviously not the Danielle he needed to find were starting to dominate the lists he received off Perkins.

He was sat on the floor, head against the console, arms resting on his knees and eyes closed because he was already running out of ideas and he'd only just started looking for her. He remembered seeing her when he'd thought she'd died in the Bank of Karabraxos telling him to keep running and to stop blaming himself. He remembered seeing her everywhere when he was alone on Trenzalore, telling him to go back for her because he was miserable on his own.

He wished that she was there to tell him to keep looking, to keep fighting. It would give him the strength and the will to get up and follow every single one. Just to hear her voice, to see her face, to be able to pretend that she was okay.

But he had none of those things. And he felt tired, and alone, and terrified about what was happening to her.

"Danielle," he whispered aloud, a broken man in a dark TARDIS. "I'm coming. I just don't know where you are. Tell me where you are."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Hope you liked the chapter. Please review if you read. It really helps, I promise._

 _Reviews -_

 _ **whitedwarf** \- Thanks sweetie! Hope this chapter answers your question :P_

 _ **Midnight** **Alley** \- Thanks sweetie! Hope you liked the little Rory moment :)_

 _ **bored411** \- I know. I think he was just trying to narrow down the search to the leads that were more likely to be Danni as to not waste time. I think, from now on, he definitely won't be dismissing small snippets of information._

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Oh yes, Wilf is behind the scenes. Hope you liked this chapter :) xxx_

 _ **Quinnmarie** \- Thanks sweetie! Hope this answers some of your thoughts and gives you more :)_

 _ **Erika** \- Yeah, well, he redeems himself here XD_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie! Hope you liked this chapter too :)_


	4. The Unexpected Guests

The sound of snow falling from her roof in one large lump was what woke Clara from her sleep. It had been snowing in London, on Christmas, in some sort of rare and miraculous fashion and she really hadn't known what to make of it. All she knew was that it actually helped it feel like Christmas and she'd tried to embrace it, taking a leaf out of her father's book and soldiering through a festive season that she didn't want because it felt empty. She'd even decorated her house in a way that would make her best friend proud.

Still, she hadn't expected the snow to fall, nor the loud grunt of someone groaning to come from her roof. Was she being robbed? She'd only been in this new flat a few weeks!

She looked up at the ceiling at the sound of bells jingling. " _Moron! Numbskull! Elf!"_

" _That's racist!_ " another voice replied, sounding outraged.

" _Of course it's not racist; you are an elf,_ " the first one replied. Clara quickly scrambled out of bed and grabbed her dressing gown and slippers before heading upwards. She'd never been on the roof before – why would she, who needs to go onto a roof on a regular basis? - but she was certain that no one should have been on it. Including the three men she found there, one rather large and wearing all in red, watching as the other two rushed around picking up the mass of debris that seemed to be scattering the small space.

As they rushed around, arguing amongst themselves, Clara couldn't help but stare. The two smaller men were decked out in greens and reds, with hats and pointed boots. The larger man was in red and white, with a beard, and a red hat. She wasn't sure what they were doing, but they couldn't possibly be trying to be… Above her reindeer ran about in the air, making noises and jingling with the sound of bells… This couldn't actually be happening, could it?

One of the smaller men, Ian apparently, paused, shining his torch on her and slowly straightened from picking something off the floor. He looked alarmed at her presence. "Er, sir? We've been seen."

Suddenly they all turned to look at her, freezing whatever they were doing. The man dressed up as Santa looked positively horrified that she was there. "Hello," he greeted slowly.

"Hello," she replied, because what else could she say?

"Hello," the other man greeted with a nervous laugh. She'd seen Wolf sewed into the back of his vest.

"Hello, human," Ian added with a little wave. The other man… elf… motioned to him a little angrily.

"You can't call her human," he scolded.

"It's not racist. They don't mind," Ian protested.

Santa shot them a look. "Hush up, both of you," he hissed at them both before turning back to Clara, walking slowly towards her. "Oh, sorry about this, girl," he told her, putting on a bit of a voice, as if she hadn't already heard him speak. "We are just three passing, perfectly ordinary roof people, doing some emergency roof things. Carry on. Merry Christmas." He seemed to catch himself. "If, if it is Christmas, I mean. Heh, heh. I don't much care for things like that, myself. Pfft. I mean, Christmas." He laughed nervously again, trying to play it off.

Clara had heard someone ramble like that quite a few times in her life. In fact, she'd heard two people ramble like that when they were desperately trying not to let people know that they were exactly who everyone thought they were. Which meant that he was who he was trying to pretend he wasn't. But that wasn't possible, was it?

"Are you..." she started slowly, "Santa Claus?"

He pointed to himself. "Me?" he asked, trying his best to sound incredulous whilst still putting on the voice. "No. Oh, no. That's… that's ridiculous." He laughed, just in time for two reindeer fly past, one with a bright red nose. The two elves tried to get them to land and he seemed to finally realise that pretending wasn't working anymore. He sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine, yes," he said reluctantly as he dropped the voice. "Yes, it's me. Ha! Guilty," he crossed his hands as if he was being put in handcuffs. "How did you recognise me?"

"You know how you grew that beard as a bit of a disguise?" Wolf asked him. "People have picked up on it."

This was ridiculous. This whole thing was just plain ridiculous. She was stood in her dressing gown, on the roof, in the snow, looking at Santa Claus and listening to two elves bickering. She had seen a lot in her life. She'd been to so many different planets with the Doctor and Danni. She'd seen strange, wonderful, and terrible things while looking for Danni all over the universe. _This_ , though? This was just downright ridiculous.

"Okay. No. Hang on. Stop. Shut up," she commanded firmly and the elves did shut up. She walked over to Santa. "What? Seriously, you, you're Father Christmas? You're real?"

"Of course I'm real," he replied, giving her a 'ho-ho-ho' as if to prove it.

"How could he not be real?" Wolf laughed.

"Huh? How do you think those presents got under the tree every year? By magic?" Santa asked her. He waved his hands about, slightly making fun of the idea."

"Well, I thought it was my mum and..." she started.

"Mum and Dad?" Wolf and Ian finished for her, laughing at the very idea. Even Santa clapped, mocking her slightly and she crossed her arms, feeling rather defensive.

"Well, of course it was," Ian said sarcastically.

"I mean, it makes perfect sense," Wolf agreed.

"Yeah, your mum and dad, one day a year, for no particular reason, just out of the blue, suddenly decide to give you a great, big pile of presents?"

"No, no, no," Wolf corrected him. "Because they love you so much." They both laughed again. "It's a lovely story, dear."

"Yeah, but it's time to start living in the real world, yeah?" said Ian. The elf. Santa's elf. Santa's elf just told her to live in the real world. What was she supposed to do with that, exactly?

Santa reached into his pocket – she wondered if they were bigger on the inside – and pulled out a small notebook. He flicked through it, obviously looking for something. "Okay. Right. Clara Oswald." He found her page, apparently. "Mostly favours travel books, science kits, strict ban on hair products." She frowned, trying to look at the book but he tilted it out of the way. "Marginal for the naughty list, '93." He tutted her, before shooting her a sad look. "Believer until the age of nine. Why did you stop?"

"Because you're a fairy tale," she explained. "Make believe. I stopped making believe years ago."

"Did you, Clara?" Santa asked with a sigh. "Did you really?"

As if on cue, with that impeccable timing that the Doctor and Danni always seemed to have, the sound of the TARDIS materialising filled the air. She turned her attention off Santa and looked behind her to see the big blue box starting to appear on the rooftop. Her heart sped up, happiness and hope filled her and she wasn't entirely sure why. She was just _so_ happy to see the TARDIS.

The moment she was solid, the door opened and the Doctor stepped out. Clara had to admit, she was slightly surprised by the lack of suit he was wearing. He rather suited the hoody and trousers he was wearing under the jacket, and his hair was longer, less well kept. The stern look he always wore was still there, though. He never seemed happy to see her anymore.

"Clara, I want you to step inside the TARDIS," he commanded firmly. "I don't want you to talk, I want you to do as I ask."

She didn't say anything, just like he asked, and she headed straight into the TARDIS. That feeling of hope was bubbling rapidly inside of her from nowhere, and she looked around the console room, taking it in, loving the mere sight of it. Perhaps she was just happy the Doctor was there to explain what the hell was going on.

Of course, then her gaze fell on the woman at the console and she was filled with such relief that she froze on the spot. Danni smiled at her, brown eyes bright behind her glasses as she brushed her blonde hair out of the way.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked and Clara seemed to wake up from her daze. She rushed over, pulling Danni into a tight hug, the relief threatening to overflow and cause the tears in her eyes to spill.

Danni quickly hugged her back. "It's good to see you too," she said with a bit of laugh, obviously perplexed. Clara pulled away only to cup her face, studying it, like she couldn't quite believe she was there.

"Is everything alright?" Danni asked her.

"Yes, it's fine," Clara replied, completely contradicting the way she shook her head. Danni seemed to immediately know what was wrong because that wonderfully kind smile appeared on her face again.

"It's alright, you know?" she said softly. "I'm safe now. You know Missy couldn't hold onto me for too long."

"Yes, I know," Clara replied, because she did. She remembered searching for her. She remembered the dark places that she looked, where they'd all looked because Missy hadn't left any clues behind. But she was back in their lives now. Danni was safe.

"Let go of my wife," the Doctor snapped as he strode to the console. He even put an arm between them, separating the two. "You're not allowed to touch her."

Danni sighed. "Doctor, be nice," she chided lightly. "What's going on? Is that really..."

"Of course not," he replied shortly. "Well, maybe, I don't know."

He flew the TARDIS without much thought, following a signal that neither of them knew what it was, and yet the Doctor definitely had wanted to chase it. Or had Danni wanted to chase it? She couldn't remember who had first decided, but now they were chasing it they were both rather happy. This was how they loved to live their lives; following random signals, stumbling on mythical beings who shouldn't exist and proving whether or not they did. The adventure, the excitement, it was just how Danni loved it.

The other side of the flight wasn't quite as picturesque as Clara's roof. There was still snow, but more of a blizzard than a seasonal flurry. They also appeared to be in front of a rather large metal station of some kind.

"Are-Are we still on Earth?" Danni asked her husband, keeping close to him in the hopes that just being close would give her some more body heat. Wherever they were it was _freezing._ Even the large, fluffy coats she and Clara had grabbed before heading out weren't exactly helping.

"Yes," he replied shortly. Maybe the cold was even affecting him. She did tell him to grab a coat for himself, but he never did. She reached out and took his hand and was surprised by how the action alone made her want to start crying. The lump in her throat was choking her. His hand felt so good. She'd missed it so much.

He held her tightly. Much tighter than he used to, like he was afraid she was going to disappear. Well, she could totally understand that. Missy had scared them both enough for their next couple of lifetimes.

"Let's get you warm," he said gently, walking them all over to a door in the outer wall of the base. She couldn't help but smile at the softness of his voice. There was just something she loved about being taken cared of by him.

He quickly opened the door and they were greeted with a woman on the floor, who screamed at the sight of them. The trio froze in surprise.

"We've got ghosts!" the woman on the floor exclaimed into the headpiece she was wearing. "Yeah, yeah. It's a skeleton man, a- a teacher and a girl in a nightie."

Danni frowned, pushing her glasses up with her free hand. "A teacher? Do I really look like a teacher?"

The door closed behind them as the Doctor stepped in, walking over to one set of beds that lines the room. They seemed to have entered into an infirmary, with the two sides lined with beds.

"Danielle, I think you're missing the bigger picture," he told her lowly as he peaked into one. "And yes, you do."

Danni huffed slightly, crossing her arms. Clara slowly walked over to the other side, looking at the beds. Her stomach dropped slightly. Something not so good was happening, wasn't it?

"Doctor?"

He nodded slowly to himself as the woman on the floor placed her hands on her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. "No, no, no, you're making me think about them. Don't make me think about them!"

Danni walked over, crouching onto the floor next to her. "Why?" she asked her. "What are they?"

"Look. Just don't ask, yeah? And don't look. Don't make me think about them!" She was very insistent and it just made Danni think about what could possibly be underneath the sheets even more.

She couldn't help herself. She looked up and jumped slightly to see them all sat up in the beds. The sheets were no longer covering them and she could clearly see the slimy, grey masks they were wearing. They had no eyes or noses but there was a mouth-shaped seam that ran across the front that made them look like they were grinning.

Danni jumped up off the floor, pulling her sonic screwdriver out at the same time as the Doctor. She moved to his side and they both scanned one of the patients each.

"Deaf," he declared as they slowly began moving off the beds towards them.

Danni nodded in agreement, checking her own reading. "And blind," she confirmed before backing up towards her husband. Neither issues seemed to bother the creatures, though, as they continued their slow approach onto the group. "I don't understand. It's like they know where we are."

"The bigger picture," he reminded her again. "How do they even know we're here?"

"They can only see you, yeah, if you see them," the woman explained from the floor. "So just, so just don't look, don't even think about them."

The Doctor's eyes lit up in that way that only his could in such a scary situation. "Oh, telepathic," he breathed as he worked out what the creatures were doing. "They can home in on their own image in someone else's brain. Third-party perception. Mind piracy." He turned to her. "We're being hacked," he hissed.

" _Hacked?_ " she repeated and he nodded. "What do we do?"

He quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her over to Clara, making sure they were all facing into their little circle.

"What does that even mean?" Clara asked him.

"The visual input from your optic nerve is being streamed to their brains," he explained, the snappiness in his tone nowhere to be found. He must have really been worried. "Stop broadcasting. Close your eyes."

He watched as both Clara and Danni did as he asked, making sure his wife's eyes were scrunched up tight before doing the same. He kept hold of her hand tightly, smoothing his thumb over the back of it to hopefully give her some sort of reassurance while taking his own.

Nothing seemed to happen for a little while, and Danni considered opening her eyes. They had been dormant, lying in the beds. It reminded her of something but she couldn't put her finger on it. She needed to take another look to see if she could work out what it was. What did they remind her of?

"They're still coming, aren't they?" Clara asked, sounding like she really didn't want to know the answer to her question.

"It's because we're all still thinking about them," the Doctor bit out. "So long as you retain them as an active memory, they can still home in. Think about something else."

"How?" Clara asked and Danni agreed. Everyone knew trying not to think about something meant that you just thought about it more and more.

" _So here it is, Merry Christmas. Everybody's having fun..._ " the woman behind them sang.

"Why is she singing?" Clara hissed.

"She's running interference. She's trying to distract herself," the Doctor explained. It was quite impressive, and such a good idea.

But what song?

" _Wise men say only fools rush in,_ " Danni sung quietly to herself. The Doctor couldn't help but smile to himself. Their anniversary song. She still remembered. " _But I can't help falling in love with you._ "

" _Shall I stay?_ " Clara continued, joining in on the idea. " _Would it be a sin? If I can't help falling in love with you?_ "

It wasn't enough. They were still approaching. "Three hundred and four minus seventeen," the Doctor declared.

"Sorry, what?" Clara asked as Danni continued to sing to herself.

"Plus twenty. Just do it!"

Clara shook her head. What did he start with? Three hundred, or five hundred? Oh, did it matter?

"Five hundred and seven!" she replied.

"Minus fourteen, times four."

"One thousand nine hundred and seventy two!"

"Stop being so good at arithmetic," the Doctor scolded.

"I can't help it!"

Well, he knew that feeling well. The calculations he was throwing out were primitive at best. At least he didn't have to worry about Danni thinking about them. He could feel her swaying slightly by his side. She was lost in the memory of that night on Trenzalore. It was a wonderful image. He needed to focus on Clara, though. Get her thinking of something but the danger around them so it stopped being a danger.

"Alright, fine," he snapped. "Think about Danielle. Think about her right now. How she's dancing, singing, to a song that I had an entire village sing to her."

"An entire village?" Clara asked in reply.

"Yes, keep up," he retorted, hoping it would keep her distracted. "Think about how wonderful that night could have been. Think about what she could have been wearing. Think about how you love her. Think about how she lived with you. Think about how we lost her because of you. Think about how she died because of you!"

"Doctor!" Danni exclaimed angrily as Clara's mind flew back to that moment she watched Danni plummet over the edge of the lava pit. Even though it was a dream, she remembered every single part of it in detail. She'd thought about it time and time again.

"Think about how you'd do it again," he continued. "Think about what drove you to that point."

Clara could feel herself starting to cry as she focused on the moment she had decided that she would do anything to save Danny Pink. She missed him so much it felt like it would crush her to death. Nothing was ever going to be the same again. Her whole life was going to have a hole in it, one she'd made so much worse by hurting her friends in the process.

"Doctor, that's enough!" Danni exclaimed, yanking her hand from his so she could put it on her hip. She opened her eyes to see him looking down at her, surprised by her outburst. "You're just upsetting her!"

"Good, upset is good!" he replied. "If upset keeps everyone alive them everyone should be upset!"

"There are other ways to distract people," she replied. "Like- Like this right now. Us arguing is a very good distraction, isn't it?"

"A very good one indeed," he replied lowly. "Much better than a song, I would think."

"I could kiss you right now," she snapped, trying to stay angry but mostly just being impressed with his mind yet again. "I'm not going to, because I have to be cross, but I really want to."

"I'm sure we can make it up afterwards," he purred and she blushed happily, forcing herself to keep a frown on her face.

Until the infirmary doors opened, of course. She jumped and he grabbed her arm, pulling her close as a woman with a gun ran in. A very big gun. She was joined by two people also with guns, but she seemed very much in charge.

"Go, run, now, now, now!" she shouted. The Doctor quickly shoved Danni forward, but she ran back and to the woman on the floor, who was still singing to herself.

"Come on, sweetie," she said firmly, scaring the woman slightly. She gasped and jumped but, on seeing the way out, she was up like a shot.

One of the people who had joined them, an older man, suddenly pointed his gun up. "Here they come!" he cried in fright. Above them slimy, hissing crabs were descending from the ceiling.

"Doctor!" Danni cried, holding her hand out for him. No matter what happened to them, she just wanted to be with him. Being separated for so long has just reaffirmed that by his side was the best place to be.

He held onto her tightly, pulling her up against his chest as they all looked up in horror. He couldn't let her go. He couldn't lose her, not again.

The wall exploded, startling screams out of most of the group as rock and smoke filled the room. They all stared, wondering what exactly could cause such destruction and if it was coming for them next.

A lone tangerine rolled into view from outside, bouncing slightly before coming to a stop. The Doctor and Clara could only stare in bewilderment as they knew who was about to step in. Danni was just plain confused by the entire thing. And the slinkies that followed, all walking in unison. And the toy robots.

It didn't take a genius, she realised, to work out who was about to appear in the opening considering where they had just come from. And sure enough, riding Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa appeared in the opening.

He jumped off the reindeer and sauntered into the room, his thumbs tucked into his belt, two elves flanking him. One was holding a toy gun, the other was holding a balloon animal.

"Well, now," he started. "Well, now. What seems to be the problem? This is the North Pole. We don't want any trouble here."

Danni could only stare. The beard, the clothes, the glasses. He really was the real deal, wasn't he? Oh, this was the most awesome thing she had seen in ages. She was meeting the _real_ Santa Claus! He was saving them from… well, from whatever the creatures were.

Oh, this was the _coolest_.

From behind them Rudolph lowed, not sounding best pleased. Santa rolled his eyes. "Hey, Rudolph." He pulled out a keyfob and held it over his shoulder, pressing it. Rudolf's nose flashed. "Easy, son." He looked back over the group before giving the creatures a stern look. "Oi! Sleepy heads! It's Christmas Eve, early to bed." He clapped his hands and the creatures all turned on their heels and started walking to the beds at the slow pace they had been advancing with.

The Doctor couldn't quite believe that it had worked. He started to follow, watching closely, expecting them to do something else, but they didn't. They started climbing into bed, doing as they were told.

"Who the hell are you?" the woman who had led the charge demanded, her gun still pointed at Santa.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, take a guess. Go on, push the boat out. Tooth Fairy, maybe? Easter Bunny?"

One of the elves pointed his balloon animal at him. "Shut your mouth, wise guy, or you get yours," he warned. Danni could almost feel the Doctor's annoyance and then dismissal of everything that was happening around them. He wasn't even completely focused on the creatures, anymore. It was just Santa.

She couldn't blame him. Watching him rattle off Ashley's Christmas present from when she was a kid like it nothing was rather impressive. She had to wonder if he could do the same with her. Although, she had grown up in a different universe. Maybe not, then…

"Come on, this is mental," the woman who had screamed at them when they'd first entered the base declared. She waved her hands in a wide circle around her just in case no one knew she meant the entire situation. "This is totally not happening."

She stared at Santa, as if daring him to contradict her. He turned his back on her. "I got three words, Shona. Don't make me use 'em."

She looked vaguely confused. "What three words?"

"My. Little. Pony," Santa replied, holding up his hand and counting the words off with his fingers. Immediately Shona went onto the defensive as he turned back around.

"Shut up, you," she warned.

"Yeah? I've got lots more, babe."

"I will mark you, Santa," she warned, raising her hands and making her fingers into claws, firmly cementing herself as Danni's favourite in the new group.

Clara, on the other hand, wasn't amused by anything that was happening and instead focused on the severity of the situation. "Okay, Doctor, are you going to explain? What is going on?"

"It's an invasion, Miss Oswald," Santa replied, heading out to Rudolf. He came back in with a glass container with something rather creepy inside. It was the same as the things that had descended from the ceiling at them. It looked like a mixture between a crab and some kind of giant hand.

"I don't like to say this about anything," Danni said, her nose wrinkled up. "But that thing is horrid."

Santa nodded. "Very horrid indeed," he agreed. "You seen them before, Doctor?"

The Doctor made sure to grab Danni's hand as he walked over, fingers threaded with hers so he never lost her again. "I've heard of them," he replied lowly as Santa turned it around for him. He seemed to know that he couldn't hold it for himself without letting her go.

Danni couldn't help but smile. Oh, she _loved_ Father Christmas.

"The Kantrofarri," the man in red declared so they all knew what they were looking at.

The Doctor leant in closer, looking at the underside. It seemed to have a mouth similar to the ones the patients had on their faces. Each of its digits had a large, sharp claw on the end. The skin looked hard.

"Colloquially known as the Dream Crabs," the Doctor added as Santa turned it around to show him the back.

"Dream Crabs?" Danni repeated as she took a closer look herself. "As in it creates dreams?"

"Pretty much," Santa confirmed for her. "Depending on how many of those are already on Earth, the human race may well have seen its last day. So," he turned to look at the rest of the group, who were still looking dubiously at him, "are we going to stand about arguing about whether I'm real or not, or are we going to get busy saving Christmas?"

With some rather enthusiastic words from his elves they all slowly agreed to at least try and work out what was going on. All of them were on Earth, after all. They didn't want to see it taken over by some Dream Crabs like their fellow crew members had.

"This is a polar base, correct?" the Doctor asked. "That means you must have a laboratory."

"We do," Ashley confirmed. "This way."

She took the lead, gun still at the ready just in case they were ambushed on the way. Her two crew mates followed her example, and Shona kept close to the people who could keep her safe.

With a glance back at the Doctor and Danni, Clara followed with the elves close by. Apparently they didn't seem to particularly trust her judging by the way they kept their toys pointed at her in warning. Good. The Doctor knew better than to do that now.

He turned to Danni, though, letting go of her hand to cup her face with both of his. It was a new habit of his, one that Danni had picked up on and didn't mind in the slightly. He was checking she was still there, still real, and she was more than happy to reassure him because it meant that she was by his side to do so.

"Are you alright, my Pet?" he asked, his eyes sweeping over her every detail. He just couldn't quite believe, even now, that he was seeing her again and the relief he felt every time he even glanced her way was threatening to overwhelm him.

"Of course," she replied. "Are you? They came at us pretty quickly."

His brows furrowed slightly. "Are you not scared?" he pressed and she shook her head.

"No, of course not," she said. "You'll work it out, you always do. I trust you."

He relaxed slightly, leaning forward to press his forehead against hers. A telepathic attacker meant that barriers had to be thrown up and kept there. He couldn't feel her in his mind, so this would have to do.

"Your faith in me is remarkable," he murmured.

"And I'll never lose it," she promised, closing her eyes to just enjoy the closeness. She'd missed it so much.

As he dipped his head to place his lips on hers, Santa cleared his throat pointedly. "Now, you two," he scolded cheekily. "No time for that. The human race is under attack. You can carry on with that nonsense later."

The Doctor let out a quiet, angry growl and Danni giggled, pulling back. "Sorry, Santa," she replied, slipping out of the Doctor's grasp to head after the others before she could feel too mortified.

The Doctor sent Santa a glare and stalked after her.

Santa watched the two, his face falling from a smirk to a look of sadness before following.

 _~0~0~0~_

"Is it dead?"

Clara, Danni, the Doctor and Ashley were stood around one of the benches in the laboratory, all staring at the container the crab was in. The two humans didn't know what to make of it, the Doctor was staring at it hoping that he'd be able to work out what was real and what wasn't, and Danni couldn't help but wonder why Santa had gone off with the rest to check the base instead of staying and helping them. She felt rather jealous about it, to be perfectly honest. How often did you get to spend time with the real Father Christmas?

They all looked at the Doctor, waiting for him to answer Clara's question but he didn't even seem to notice that she'd spoken at all. Both Danni and Clara knew differently, though, and after giving him a moment to snap out of his thoughts and answer, Danni rolled her eyes.

"Is it dead?" she asked, repeating Clara's question.

"I don't know," he replied almost instantly, although he didn't take his gaze off the crab. "Possibly."

"I'm assuming extra-terrestrial," Ashley stated rather than asked.

"Oh, definitely," the Doctor replied, which did answer Danni's own question about it's origin. She'd suspected it wasn't from Earth purely by the name, but he knew a lot more about species than she did and stranger things had come from this planet than a Dream Crab.

Ashley seemed a little surprised. She looked at the Doctor, a suspicious look on her face. "Then how can you have heard of these things?"

"Guess," he retorted shortly. He didn't have time for stupid questions, he needed to work this out. He needed to save the world so he could save his wife.

He glanced at her, seeing her leaning towards the specimen container to give it a gentle tap. Nothing happened, but he hadn't expected it to. No, he was much more concerned about her and her own lack of concern about the situation at hand. She was not as scared of life in general as she once had been, but he knew she should have been at least unnerved about what was happening, and not poking at a glass jar like it was a toy.

"Because you're extra-terrestrial, too," Ashley guessed, correctly.

"We're a mix," Danni told her, rocking back on her heels. She pointed to the Doctor. "Alien." She pointed to Clara. "Human." Then she pointed to herself. "Both."

She didn't seem to know how to process that piece of information, but as she did seem to be in charge of the base, Danni also wasn't surprised when she seemed to take it in her stride.

"I have so many questions," she told them.

"That happens," Clara replied reassuringly. "Expect about half of them to never be answers."

Danni giggled and Clara shot her a smile. The Doctor may be ignoring her, but Danni sure wasn't and it was nice to still have her on side. She knew it would take a lot more than a few trips to win the Doctor back over again, if it was even possible to at this point, but Clara knew that Danni was helping tremendously with that. He'd do anything for his wife.

The Doctor turned to Danni. "Theorise," he commanded gently. "Why's it called a Dream Crab?"

He loved the way her brows would furrow as she tried to work something out. It was so similar to when she noticed something that she couldn't quite place. "Well, I guess, it invokes a dream state?" she suggested unsurely.

"Close," he confirmed before turning to Ashley. "You," he started, a little less encouraging than before. "Why is it called a Dream Crab?"

She had absolutely no idea, but she took her best stab at it. "Because it generates a telepathic field?"

"And?"

"Alters perception?

"Meaning?"

She shot the Doctor a look. "I seem to be doing all the work here," she pointed out.

"It means we don't know what's real or not," Danni told her. "We don't even know this is real. If there's a telepathic field around us, then it could be altering what we think is reality and we would never know."

"Well, that's great," Clara replied. "If we can't trust anything we see or hear, how are we supposed to stop them?"

"That's the thing," Danni said. "We might actually stop them to find out that we're being played by some little, gross, hand… thing." She jabbed at the glass container again. "And then again, it could actually be dead and we're overthinking it. We really don't know what is going on."

"Go to the window," the Doctor told Ashley.

"Why?" she asked, even as she did just that.

"Because it gets worse."

She looked out of the blinds that covered the window, spotting the TARDIS sat in the snow outside. "What is that?" she asked.

"That's how Danielle and I," the Doctor started.

"And Clara," Danni interjected tiredly.

"Got here," the Doctor continued without correcting himself.

"In a box?" Ashley asked in disbelief.

"Technically, in a telephone kiosk," he corrected before shooting Danni a grin. She returned it happily. There really was something quite enjoyable about showing off the TARDIS.

"How?" Ashley asked with a laugh, turning to look at then pair.

"She's a spaceship," Danni explained. "And a time machine. She has a database of disguises and can find one that will perfectly blend her in to the surroundings, and then she chooses the police box."

"You know what the big problem is in telling fantasy and reality apart?" the Doctor asked Ashley.

"What?"

"They're both ridiculous." He turned back around to look at the Dream Crab.

"So we can't tell what's real or not, because real is ridiculous and fake might actually make sense," Danni reasoned.

"Exactly."

"So what _can_ we do to try and work it out?" she asked him, looking up at him with a look that, on anyone else, would have seemed like she was expecting him to give her an answer.

He reached out, stroking his fingertips down her face again. "I know this face is real," he told her, watching her flush happily. "Everything else is a work in progress."

She wasn't annoyed, or exasperated, or frustrated by his lack of answer. He knew that she wouldn't be. She trusted him to keep her safe, and to work it out, but she never pushed him if he wasn't quite there yet. She was just happy to watch him work, like she was just happy to watch the universe turning.

"Are we in danger?" Clara asked and yet again he didn't reply.

"Doctor," Danni snapped in warning and he sighed.

"Oh, we are well way past danger," he replied shortly. "If I'm right, and I usually am, we're dying."

"Wait, what?" Danni exclaimed, surprised. That was news to her.

"Then how do we stay alive?" Ashley asked and the Doctor pointed at her, approving of her question.

"I like you. Straight to the point," he praised. "I want you to show me how you first encountered those creatures, and what happened to those people in the infirmary. I notice you all wear mini-cams, so I assume that there is footage."

"Is it possible I'm about to work with someone who might be a dream?" she asked in return.

"If it helps, so are we," he replied.

It was ridiculous. Just like he said it was. She let out a chuckle at the absurdity of it, then headed to the door. "We have footage on the drives. I'll see what I can pull up."

Another thought caught in his head amongst the many that were swirling there. He jogged to catch her up before she left.

"Ashley!" She paused, turning back to look at him. "What's this polar base for? Why are you all here?"

She seemed to smile a very sad smile. "It's a long story," was all she offered before leaving. The Doctor watched her leave and Danni saw the frustration at the lack of answer flash on his face. She reached out, rubbing his arm as she quickly followed.

"Don't worry, I'll get an answer," she called back and he grinned again. If anyone could get an answer, it was Danielle. She was so polite, it worked on everyone.

That meant, though, that he was left in the laboratory with Clara. He definitely didn't want that but he needed to see what else he could work out about the Dream Crab before following on. He stalked over to the table, taking one last look at the rather unpleasant looking creature.

"This must be just another day for you," he shot at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she retorted, defensive. "You think I want us all to die?"

"No, just Danielle I should suspect," he countered, standing up straight once he'd determined that there really wasn't anything else he could learn from it. "We're in a dream and you always get what you want in dreams, don't you?"

She sighed, tired and frustrated that he was still throwing it in her face. "Why did you come pick me up if you don't want me here?" she demanded.

"Because Danielle wanted to see you," he replied. "Trust me, you're not here because of me."

He turned and followed Danni and Ashley, leaving Clara on her own in the laboratory, arms wrapped around herself. This was getting too much. One moment she thought she could stick it out and wait for his bad mood to end, the next she just wanted to give up on ever getting their friendship back and stop travelling all together.

Still, she couldn't help the little smile as she finally followed him and the others. Danni had wanted to see her. That was always a plus.

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni really _had_ intended to get the answer from Ashley. She was curious as to what the base was for, especially considering that she seemed so reluctant to give an answer at all. That just had every part of her mind buzzing, wondering what secret thing could be hidden at the North Pole that wasn't Santa. She hoped it wasn't something horrid, but perhaps the Dream Crabs could be the cause of whatever they were investigating.

She had no idea, and she had so many ideas that she really had wanted to find out the answer if only to quell her own inquiring mind. However, she just couldn't keep away from Santa. Every question he was given by Shona, he had a response for instantly, and Shona had a million and one of them. They were all so convinced that he wasn't real, but she just couldn't see him as being anything but.

The Doctor and Clara joined them and Danni could feel the tension between the two despite being on the outside of the room with Shona. It made her frown, slightly, as she thought on how to improve their relationship. Clara was supposed to be his companion, after all, even if she was Danni's friend.

"You all right?" the Doctor asked Shona as he walked past to Ashley. He placed a hand on Danni's arm, giving her a rub just to feel her under his touch. She placed a hand over his in return and he felt a little bit calmer.

"Yeah. Yeah, yeah," she replied. "I'm trying to talk sense into er," she motioned to Santa, "Beardy-Weirdy."

"You don't seem much like a scientist," the Doctor commented.

"That's a bit rude," she replied, a little defensive, "coming from a magician."

He thought his magician look had dipped slightly since adding the hoodie. Perhaps he needed to change the trousers as well. "Why are you out here? What brought you to the North Pole?"

"Long story, isn't it?" she replied, once again not giving him an answer. There had to be something in that, he just didn't know what. So many different pieces of the puzzle that couldn't be put together yet.

"You missed the killer question," he told her and she frowned.

"Sorry, what?"

The Doctor looked over at Santa. "Beardy-Weirdy," he called, and Santa turned to him. "How do you get all the presents in the sleigh?"

Both Shona and Danni liked that question, turning to Santa expectantly. In return, he raised an eyebrow, smirking. "It's bigger on the inside."

The Doctor didn't appreciate the smugness, nor the jeering from the two elves at his cocky answer. Danni giggled, though, and Santa winked at her. She grinned happily and the Doctor scowled at her reaction. That was _his_ smile.

"Doctor?" Ashley called over and the Doctor walked over to her and her professor friend, who was gnawing on a turkey drumstick like he'd never eaten before in his life. The Doctor immediately dismissed him as an idiot, but also added him to the reason that this polar base made zero sense.

"What am I looking at?" he asked the four member of group, Bellows, who was controlling the screen with the video on.

"Footage from a week ago," she explained as it played. There was a few people in a cave, all wrapped up in polar gear. "A side expedition from our main mission."

"What is your main mission?"

"Long story," she dismissed. Big surprise there. He turned back and watched the crew on the video approach the Dream Crabs that were hanging amongst the icicles in the cave. Just exactly what he had expected. They'd stumbled upon a dormant cluster of crabs and the moment they had started thinking about them, the crabs had woken up and set about feasting on them. There was even footage of them descending from the ceiling, snaring their prey and turning them into the sleep walkers that were now in the infirmary.

He glanced over at Danni, who was stood between himself and Santa, to make sure the jump scare on the screen hadn't scared her too much. She barely seemed bothered. She was frowning, but more in confusion than terror. At least she wasn't too scared.

"They're a bit like Facehuggers, aren't they?" Albert, the man with the turkey leg commented.

"Face huggers?" the Doctor repeated slowly, having never heard of that species before and surprised that he knew anything that he didn't.

"The alien from Alien," Danni explained. "Part of the xenomorph life cycle. Remember, we watched on date night a few months ago?" His look was still blank and she sighed. She knew he hadn't liked it, but really? "You complained about the name of the movie?"

He didn't remember that, but he could see himself doing so. "Well, it's offensive," he protested. "A horror movie called Alien?" He turned back to the little group. "No wonder everyone keeps invading you."

Danni shook her head, amused rather than exasperated at her husband. She adored watching him work. Seeing the cogs turn in his head as he pulled each piece of the puzzle together was absolutely mesmerising at times. But, there was also something quite joyous in watching him get completely distracted for a moment by something incredibly mundane. It was adorable and just endeared him to her even more. She leant against the wall just so she could watch him. Over 600 years and she would never tire of it.

Santa, who up until that moment had stayed silent, walked over to Danni with his thumbs hooked into the black belt he was wearing.

"Are you alright, Danielle?" he asked her and she started slightly. "You've been quite quiet."

She shrugged. She found herself unable to look him in the eye, something she only did with the people who caused her to be the most flustered.

"Well, you know, I'm a big fan, I don't want to say something stupid," she told him with a little smile. "I guess- I guess I'm a little star struck."

He chuckled slightly. "And here is everyone else trying to prove that I don't exist," he replied.

"I see impossible things all the time," she explained. "I'm just more open minded to it, I suppose." She looked up at him. "Can I get a photo?"

He chuckled again, sounding incredibly jolly. "That big of a fan, then?" he asked, amused.

"Well, of course," she said like it was obvious. "Impossible, older man, bigger on the inside technology, travelling the world to make children happy not for any reward, but just because it's kind?" She looked over at her husband, smiling to herself. "I kind of have a thing for those," she finished softly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "So, what do you say?"

He didn't look convinced, before shrugging and nodding. "Oh, what the heck? Go on then."

She grinned and moved in close, pressing up onto her tiptoes and holding her phone up in the air. "I met a girl called Courtney who told me that this was the best way to take a selfie," she explained. "Children, they're bloody brilliant."

"That they are," Santa agreed, smiling as she took a couple of snaps. That was another tip from Courtney as well; take a few so you could choose the best shot. It was something she'd done on occasion before, but when the student had been showing her the best way to take a picture, she'd taken it to heart.

The Doctor glanced over at his wife and positively scowled at how chummy she was being with Santa. He understood that Santa, real or fake, was always going to be rather exciting for her. But he was over here being smart. What was the point if he couldn't impress her?

"Danielle," he called over sharply. She looked over, her smile brightening just at the sight of him and he felt slightly better. "Could you fetch the dead crab?"

She sighed, shaking her head fondly at him even as she headed for the door. "A please would have been nice," she told him, dipping out of the room before he could correct his slight mistake. She didn't really mind him not being overly polite because it meant he was too busy to worry about it. She just liked to tease him about it on occasion.

The flashing lights were what first alerted her to the fact that something was wrong. She couldn't see the specimen container on the table, but then again he might have moved it before coming to the control room. She stepped slowly into the room, looking around, trying to spot it. Perhaps she should have brought Clara with her. There was safety in numbers, after all. Plus Clara had been in there last with him so she would know if he'd moved the dead crab or not.

She froze in the middle of the room at the sound of something rather slimy and wet moving. Her eyes widened and she berated herself for her stupidity. The bloody thing wasn't dead, was it? And they'd all been thinking about it…

" _If I lay here,"_ she sang softly to herself, turning slowly on the spot. " _If I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world?"_

Oh, it was no good. She could hear it moving and she couldn't stop thinking about it. Clearing your mind was so bloody hard, she didn't stand a chance, did she?

She heard it move again and tilted her head up to see if it was above her. That was also a stupid move, she realised, as she caught sight of it because the Doctor had explicitly said that they could hack your optic nerves. She'd seen it, and now it knew that she'd seen in.

She screamed as it quickly descended on her, knowing that it was entirely too late for her to move.

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor continued to look at the footage of the dormant creatures, although Clara couldn't quite see what use it was going to do. There was a large chunk of footage missing from between the attack and when the patients were laid out in the infirmary, what could they learn if they couldn't see the bits in between.

She leant against the console, watching him work with that big frown on his face, and lamented the fact that he'd never encountered them before. He knew what they were, but legends never gave you a way of being free from the monsters, just that they existed in the first place. Which was exactly what the Dream Crabs wanted. They wanted people to think about them, it's how they got their power.

It was as she was wondering what the dead one could offer when her eyes widened, her chest tightening in horror. What if it wasn't dead? What if it was just sleeping?

"Doctor!" she cried, but as normal he didn't even acknowledge that he'd heard her. She growled. " _Doctor!"_

"What?" he snapped, turning to glare at her. Even he couldn't deny her now alert stance.

"We're thinking about it!"

Her words confused him for a moment before he realised what she was talking about. He had just been pondering dissecting the dead Dream Crab, he'd been thinking about it. Danielle was thinking about it. They _all_ were thinking about it.

A scream ran out and they all turned to the door, alarmed. He was quick to push off into a run. "Danni!"

The hallway wasn't particularly long, but it was long enough for the Dream Crab to attack her. His hands shook as he knelt next to her, horrified by the way the Dream Crab covered her entire face as she laid on the floor. If she'd been standing the fall would have hurt, although that was the least of his worries at this point.

"Oh god, Danni," Clara whispered, kneeling down on the other side of her. "What do we do? How to we get if off her?"

The Doctor's hands hovered in front of him for a moment before he clasped Danni's tightly. "Danni, Danni, can you hear me?" he asked her frantically. "Danni, I need you to wake up for me." He quickly tried to connect with her mentally, but whatever the Dream Crab was doing to her made it impossible for him to even feel her. "Danni, Danni, wake up. Please wake up."

"We did try to waken the others," Ashley broke to him gently. "No stimulus worked."

He let go of Danni's hand to run his own over his face. He needed ideas. He needed a plan. He didn't care about what would happen afters, he just needed to get it off her face. It was killing her and he was useless, just sitting back and letting it happen.

He jumped off the floor, pacing backwards and forwards. "Okay, we kill it," he decided. "We find a way to kill it and we get it off her. How do we kill it?"

"There's no way to kill it without killing your friend, too," she told him. "And as a scientist, may I just say, I don't like the way you're talking."

He stormed up to her, towering over her almost menacingly. "She's my _wife_ ," he snarled before backing off. She was right, though. Killing the creature was no good if he couldn't guarantee Danni's safety. He needed her to wake up on her own, but if she was in a dream she probably had no idea that she was dreaming in the first place.

He looked down at her. He needed to let her know. And if there was only one way to talk to her, then he would do it.

He rushed over to Santa, who was stood in the doorway. "Santa. In the infirmary, you told the Sleepers to go to bed, and they obeyed you," he said.

"Sorry, doesn't mean I can get that creature off her," Santa replied, genuinely apologetic.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, but you can get back in there unharmed."

Santa's eyes widened slightly, as if he understood what the Doctor was planning without even being told it.

Shona, on the other hand, looked positively perplexed. "What? You're asking Santa for help? He doesn't exist."

"And how would you know that?" the Doctor retorted, eyes flashing in his anger at the delay. "How did you become an expert on what does and doesn't exist?"

Santa stepped forward before a fight broke out. "I can commit several million housebreaks in one night dressed in a red suit with jingle bells, so of course I can get back into the infirmary."

"Good," he replied. "Good. Because there is only one way that I can save Danielle."

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor laid Danni down on the floor of the infirmary, making sure she was as comfortable as possible before lying down next to her. He took her hand in his, threading their fingers together so he would be able to hop straight into her dream once he was able.

Clara stood next to them, another Dream Crab in a specimen jar. "Are you ready?" she asked him. She wasn't surprised that he was trusting her with this. Both of them had an understanding when it came to Danni, one to overwrote his anger.

"Do it," he replied and she tipped the jar upside down. The creature hissed, landing on his face and immediately taking hold as he kept his gaze on it and his thoughts focused around it and Danielle.

Ashley was on the other side of him, watching with a morbid fascination. "Have we just killed him? Have we just made it worse?"

"If he thinks he can save Danni like this, then he will," Clara retorted, watching the pair closely. "There's nothing in the universe he can't overcome for her. They'll be fine. He'll bring them both back."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _I bet this wasn't what you were expecting, was it? What do you think of it, though?_

 _Reviews :)_

 _ **Authora97** \- Why thank you sweetie! Did this surprise you as well? :P_

 _ **Guest** \- Hehe you're not the only one. River can hold her own well, especially when it's for Danni._

 _ **Serena** \- Thanks sweetie :D_

 _ **Quinnmarie** \- Yeah, quite a bit yet. I don't want to give anymore away apart from what I already have done._

 _ **LoveandAngst** \- Perhaps not. She and Simm!Master really have a different connection and dynamic. Hope you liked this chapter :)_

 _ **Jojo** \- Oh yeah, I think it says a lot about Simm!Master and Danni's relationship. That is going to be fun to explore more if I ever get to season 10 XD_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Of course Wilf :D Can't say anything about Jenny just yet ;)_

 _ **TheSlayerofGallifrey** \- Thanks sweetie! :D_

 _ **bored411** \- What Missy is doing is going to have long-lasting effects for Danni. It's part of what the name of the story is about, really XD_

 _ **Midnight** **Alley** \- Neither was Danni XD Thanks!_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie :D_


	5. The Dream within a Dream

The Doctor's eyes shot open and he found himself slightly disorientated waking up in a dream and knowing it was a dream. He took a moment to find his bearings before looking around to see what Danni's mind had created to form a dream designed to keep her docile as she died.

He couldn't say he was impressed. He hadn't expected to be just outside the polar base. They had been all across the universe together, and this was where her peaceful mind brought her? Perhaps they needed to talk about that.

Luckily it wasn't too hard to find her. Or, rather, find where she was going to be. The TARDIS was still parked where he expected her to be when they woke up again. He supposed that the TARDIS was the most important place in the universe to both of them, so where she was actually parked didn't make much of a difference. Maybe the polar base was her mind actually trying to remind her what was happening.

That was incredibly clever of her, actually, and he'd not realised it straight away. He was getting slow in his old age. He'd keep _that_ little mistake to himself.

He didn't know why he hesitated at the door, nor why he raised his hand to knock, it just felt like the right thing to do. Even though it was his home too. That must have been the influence of the dream.

The door opened a moment later and there she was, his Danielle, wearing a festive red dress and a grin on her face.

"Oh, there you are!" she exclaimed happily. "We were wondering when you were going to show up. Come on, you're late."

She turned and headed back into the TARDIS like it was normal for her to open the door on him. Again, that had to be down to the dream.

"We?" he asked, confused as he followed her in. The TARDIS console was his own, which was nice. She had told him, back when he was trying to woo her back onto the TARDIS, that she'd been upset that he'd changed the theming without consulting her. He'd meant it to be a surprise for her at the time, but he understood why it came across as dismissive. He'd apologised, she'd admitted she loved it anyway so everything was fine, but it was nice to see her subconscious choose it anyway.

"Yeah," she replied, before turning to him, grinning in amusement. "What? You think you're the only one here? It's Christmas. We should be with the ones we love."

And as he looked around again, he noticed all the decorations that had been put up around the room. The dusting of fake snow on the time rotor that made it look like a snow globe, and the tree on the upper floor with blue and silver decorations added to the atmosphere.

The two men that were gathered around it were much less expected.

He stumbled slightly as he came to a stop at the sight of his past selves, who looked just as concerned as he would have expected himself to. Still, he felt himself straighten, immediately on the defensive even though they were just dream constructs.

"Ah, I see," he replied slowly. She nodded, either not noticing his shortness or just ignoring it completely.

"We're all together on Christmas," she said. "It's just what I've always wanted. Me and you, together."

That both warmed and broke his hearts, although he wasn't sure why it seemed to hurt to think that he was all she had ever wanted. She was about to head up to the upper floor with the other men when he grabbed her arm.

"Food will be ready soon," she was explaining. "But we can open some of the presents first..."

"Danielle," he said firmly, stopping her in her tracks. "You're asleep. None of this is real. It's killing you."

She just stared at him for a moment before deciding that he was lying. She rolled her eyes and turned back. "Stop messing around," she scolded him lightly. "It's only Christmas. It's not like I'm going to make you wear a festive jumper or anything."

"Danielle, you _have_ to listen to me," he insisted, grabbing her hand and clasping it in both of his so she would keep her attention on him. "There's a pain, isn't there? In your temple, like an ice cream headache? One that won't seem to go away."

Her eyes widened slightly and he knew he'd hit something of a nerve at that point. But, at least, she suddenly seemed to be listening to him.

"It's-It's just a headache," she insisted and he shook his head.

"It's not," he promised. "It's the Dream Crab that boring it's way into your skull. All you have to do is wake up and it will go away. We'll wake up together."

"What's going on?"

He looked to his Tenth self, who along with Eleven had walked down the stairs to the pair. "She's dying," he explained to his other selves. "You're not real, none of this is real. If she doesn't wake up then we will both die."

"We?" Danni repeated quietly. "What did you do, Theta?"

"How do you think I'm here?" he retorted. "I'm asleep too, Danielle. We have to wake up."

She shook her head, shaking slightly. "No, no, this- this is real," she said forcefully. She was becoming more and more upset, he could tell, but he needed to make her see. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I am _not_ going to lose you again," he replied. "Please, Danielle, listen to me. We have to wake up."

"Is that true?" Ten asked, sounding slightly suspicious and Twelve nodded.

"I wouldn't make that up," he snapped back. "None of us would. She's dying and if we don't wake up soon she'll die for good."

She shook her head. "It feels real," she insisted, although the way she wanted to start crying suggested she didn't believe that at all. "This is real. It's-It's Christmas, we're together. Why ruin it?"

"Because it's killing you," he said. "It's all nice because it's the anaesthetic, used to keep you quiet while it sticks a straw through your skull and eats your brain."

"Stop it!" she exclaimed, pulling back but he refused to let go of her hand. "Why are you doing this?" she cried. "We're happy, we're all happy!"

He didn't know what to do. Working her up wasn't going to get her to wake up, but he didn't have anything else up his sleeve. He hadn't expected such a strong denial from her, and to be honest it hurt a little that she was fighting him so vehemently. It was probably the Dream Crab trying to keep her in the dream to it could kill her, but when did she never believe him?

Eleven took a step forward, taking her other hand in his. "Danni-Girl," he said gently, pulling her attention away from Twelve. Her eyes were full of tears and all three Doctors felt so bad about making her cry, but even her constructs knew they were just that. "Come with me, eh?"

He walked over over to the pilot seat, sitting her down before kneeling in front of her. "Hey, it's alright," he reached up, wiping her tears away with his thumbs, keeping a reassuring smile on his face. Twelve wasn't best pleased that she was doing what he was saying, but even he had to admit Eleven always had a way to calm her down. "When you wake up you'll still be with him, so you're not on your own."

She shook her head meekly. "This- This has to be real," she whispered. "Please, I don't-" she looked up at Ten, then at Twelve before back at him, "I don't want it to be a dream."

"I know, I don't either." He grinned at her. "You always said you wanted to try out the possibilities." She giggled wetly at his cheek. "But we're not real. I know we're not, and so do you. Don't you want to be with the real me?"

"Always," she replied instantly. Ten walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it affectionately.

"We're always here," he promised. "Time travel is always possible in dreams. But maybe not one that's, you know, so death… filled?"

She looked up at Twelve, who had his pleading face on. The one he wore when he was terrified for someone, terrified for _her_. She shook her head, she couldn't even bear looking at him, and turned back to Eleven.

"I don't want to wake up again," she whimpered. "Not again, Theta, please."

He reached up to the back of her head, threading his fingers in her hair before pulling her forehead to meet his. He closed his eyes, as she did, and she took a moment of comfort from him. She could feel herself getting more and more upset, panicking at the very idea of having to wake up from yet another dream. She didn't want to lose him, any him, and if she woke up and Twelve wasn't there she didn't know how she was going to cope.

"Danni," he whispered. "My Danni-Girl." He pulled back just enough so they could see each other. "I'll be there when you wake up. I know how much he loves you and, considering I'm a figment of your wonderfully impressive mind," she giggled again despite crying, "that means you must know it too. He won't leave you."

Ten's hand was still on her shoulder, his thumb rubbing over her in comfort. She had known that it wasn't real. Ten hadn't been particularly talkative even though she remembered him being a blabbermouth, and it upset her to think that it was because she couldn't quite remember his way with words to replicate. Eleven felt much more close to what she remembered, but the tweed had given that away as well.

She was just so afraid of waking up. She always was, now. Missy had done such a number on her that sleep scared her to death. If she woke up and he wasn't there. If she was on her own…

She turned to look at Twelve, silently begging him to help her. He could see her fear on her face and he wasn't sure where it had come from, but he assumed it was part of the Dream Crab's influence. He held out his hand to her.

"Never be afraid, my Danni-Girl," he told her. "No matter where we are, I'll keep you safe."

Her lips pulled up into a smile, desperately wanting to believe his words. She stood up and walked over, taking hold of his outstretched hand.

"Okay," she replied softly. "What do I do?"

"Take a deep breath and focus on waking up," he instructed. "Image opening your eyes and falling out of the dream. It should happen naturally for you." He squeezed her hand. "I'll be there."

"Promise?" she asked meekly and he nodded.

"Promise," he said and she nodded once again, reaffirming that she was really going to do this. They were going to wake up.

As she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, she thought about how wrong his words were. He wouldn't be there when she woke up, Missy would.

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara had been watching them both so closely that when they both woke up, she shot back in complete surprise. The Dream Crabs dropped off their faces onto the floor and the Doctor gasped first, quickly sitting up as he came back into the land of the living.

Danni took a moment longer, but as she sat up she didn't seem as desperate to breathe as her husband did. She was panting, trying to catch her breath, but her eyebrows were furrowed. Something was wrong and Clara moved closer, ready to ask her what it was.

"Danni, Danni!" the Doctor cried, not noticing his wife's turmoil as he rolled over, grabbing her arm. "Look at me!" Her eyes snapped to him. He relaxed but her eyes searched his, still looking so confused. She had been so certain that she was going to wake up with Missy, how was she looking into his eyes?

Then their attentions were pulled back to the Dream Crabs, which were writhing in agony on the floor, screaming. Then, in unison, they disintegrated into dust and carapace pieces.

The Doctor helped Danni off the floor, moving them away from the remains as if they could still hurt her. "You're okay, you're okay," he murmured, rubbing her arms as if trying to warm her. Still, she didn't say a word, keeping her eyes on the ground and the dust. He hadn't expected her to be so scared of waking up, especially considering the danger they were in. She was probably just coming down off that.

Ashley commanded her crew to collect some of the remains of the Dream Crabs to study as Clara joined Danni on her other side. "Are you okay?" she asked gently. Danni's gaze snapped to her and Clara frowned, reaching forward to offer her own comfort. "It's okay, you're awake now."

Danni shook her head minutely once, her hearts racing as the last thought in her head before she'd woken up repeated again and again. Why had she thought that? Why was she so focused on not waking up with Missy? Why did her temple _still_ hurt?

She moved away from both of them, rushing to a mirror that was hanging on the wall, tilting her head and pulling her hair back so she could see her temple. Her hands shook slightly, her eyes filling with tears again as she saw the unblemished skin. There was no wound, no sign of anything trying to suck out her brain for lunch.

"Danielle?" the Doctor called and she turned. He was watching her, concerned by her behaviour and she felt her panic flare up over her anger.

"You lied," she stated firmly, causing the others to pause in their actions and turn to her.

"Lied?" he repeated and she nodded, taking a step towards him.

"You said I would wake up with you," she continued, her voice rising. "You _promised_ me!"

"And you did," he reassured her. "Look, we're right here..."

"Then why do I still have the headache?" she countered. "We're still dreaming! You promised me, Spaceman! You can't leave me!"

"Alright, alright," Clara quickly rushed forward as the Doctor froze on the spot. He obviously had no idea why she was so upset or what to do as she seemed to work herself up into a panic. Clara, on the other hand, was the one who could handle this a lot better. She placed a hand on each of her arms as she stood in front of the blonde, forcing Danni to look at her. "One thing at a time," she said in her teacher voice. "What headache?"

"The one we all- we all have," Danni explained, her voice such a rush she stumbled over her words. "The one in your temple." Clara's eyes widened slightly, because she knew exactly the headache Danni was talking about because she was feeling it too.

"Is it the ice cream pain?" Shona called over, tapping her temple. "Just here? Cos I've got that."

Bellows frowned, raising her fingers to the same temple. "It's the cold, I think. Some sort of reaction," she offered and Danni shook her head.

"We all have the same headache," she replied. "I was told I had the headache because I was dreaming. And, if I woke up, I was going to be with husband but… but," she turned to the Doctor, "you _knew_ about the headache. I thought it was just because you'd come to find me, but it's because you'd bloody noticed it. You _knew_ we weren't waking up together!"

"Danielle, calm down," he snapped firmly, knocking Clara out of the way. "Yes, I knew. I wasn't certain until I came into your dream but then I knew."

"Then you lied to me," she retorted. "You didn't tell me, you kept that from me. You don't get to leave me, Spaceman. I'm not waking up on my own again!"

"And you won't," he promised. "We all have the same headache, which means we're all still dreaming."

"But I woke up," she insisted. "You helped me. You told me to, how can I wake up and still be dreaming?"

"Have you ever woken up from a dream and discovered that you're still dreaming?" he countered. Her shoulders sagged slightly and he saw the comprehension break through her panic. That was good, he needed to get her calm so they wouldn't die.

He turned to the others, explaining to them as well as to her. "Dreams within dreams. Dream states nested inside each other. All perfectly possible, especially when we are dealing with creatures who have weaponised our dreams against us."

Bellows frowned, shaking her head. "I don't know about anybody else, but I'm pretty certain I'm awake right now."

"Which is odd, when you think about it," the Doctor countered.

"Odd?" Ashley pressed.

"Impossible, in fact," he continued. "How can any of us be awake?"

"What do you mean?" Danni asked him.

"Remember how we all first met, in the infirmary?" he asked her and she nodded. "All those creatures coming down from the ceiling, attacking us. We never stood a chance. How did we survive that?"

"Well, Santa saved us, didn't he?" she pointed out. "He blew the wall down then sent them all to bed."

"Exactly," he confirmed. "Don't you think that's a bit strange?"

"We live in a time machine and I've been to, what, three separate universes in my life," she countered. "Strange is relative."

"Fair point," he conceded. "Wherever we are, we need to try and work out if this is a dream or not."

"And how do we do that?"

He turned to Clara, a remark on his tongue about how she'd used their dream against them. But, then, he remembered that she actually hadn't had any control over it so maybe she wasn't the best judge after all.

"Follow me," he declared, a plan forming in his mind quickly. He kept hold of Danni's hand and pulled her behind him, heading for the control room. Santa was in there, talking on his mobile phone and Danni shot him a little bit of a suspicious look as he walked away from them all to continue his conversation. The way Theta was talking about him made her wonder if he was actually real or not. She really hoped so.

The Doctor let go of her hand to walk over to one of the many shelves, quickly looking it over before moving to the next one. "What are you looking for?" she asked as he skimmed over the books.

"Something identical," he replied. "The Helman-Ziegler test," he explained to them all. "The only reliable dream test that I know." He picked up four books from the middle of many. "Ah. Your base manual. I take it none of you have memorised this." He walked over and handed each of them one.

"Oh. I haven't, I haven't read it," Shona admitted, but that was what he was looking for.

"These books should be identical in the real world. But as they don't exist in your memory, in a dream, they can't be. Agreed?" He asked them all, to which the four crewmembers nodded. "Danielle, give me any two digit number."

She blinked for a moment. A two digit number? Why?

"Um, sixty one," she offered. His small smile at her said she'd done the right thing, which was good.

"All right, all of you, turn to page sixty one and look at the very first word. Right, when I point at you." They all flipped through their books until they reached the correct page. When they did, the Doctor pointed at them, starting with Ashley.

"Isotope," she read off and he pointed to Bellows, who frowned.

"Extremely," she read off, confused as to why the words were different.

It was as the Doctor expected, and so he pointed at Albert. "Inside," the man read off.

"Chocolate," Shona read last, raising the book to her chest as she looked around at them all. "Why did I get chocolate? What's that about?"

It was quite a clever test, really, Danni realised. None of them had got the same word because there were just so many words, and the chances of their brains choosing the same ones were pretty slim. And, as their brains were filling in the words then they literally could have read anything. What had the Doctor called the test? The Helman-Ziegler test? She'd have to remember that. It was lucky there had been four copies of the same book.

She frowned to herself slightly. Why did that sound wrong to her? It didn't sit right, like she was missing something painfully obvious. The Doctor would most likely point it out soon enough and she'd kick herself for missing it. Either that or she would say something that would jog his brain into noticing it. They had quite a good team going.

"Well, we'll do it again," the Doctor declared after the protest that it was just a mistake. "Danielle?"

"Ninety one," she offered, but she turned to Clara instead of watching them all flip through. Was it something to do with Clara? If something was wrong with Clara, she knew that Clara would tell her. Would the Doctor, though? Now that he didn't seem to care too much?

No, that was a lie. If he didn't care, he wouldn't be so cruel to her. The fact that he was just proved there was still a friendship there to be saved.

Clara caught her eye and seemed baffled by the sudden attention on her. Danni didn't feel embarrassed, though, at being caught out. She just wanted to work out what felt so weird about them having four books.

Was it because most companies they came across wouldn't have spent the money on four manuals when one would have done just fine? Or was it because she had grown to be slightly wary of manuals after living with the Doctor so long?

"We," Ashley read out, pulling Danni's thoughts out of her thoughts.

"Are."

"All."

They all waited for Shona to read out her own word, but she just stared at the book, her own brows furrowed. Whatever was on the page had obivously really worried her.

"Shona?" the Doctor asked and she looked up.

"Dead."

They all fell silent at the terrifying sentence they'd just read out together. The test suddenly felt a little bit cruel, but Danni couldn't help but feel a sense of morbid fascination at the way their subconsciouses were working together to warn them of the danger they were in.

"Since the attack in the infirmary, nothing has been real?" Ashley asked in a panic.

"The attack is still going on," the Doctor hissed in reply. He hated being right. "This is it!"

"We've been dreaming since then?" Albert asked, not quite believing what he was seeing in front of his eyes.

"Oh, for Easter's sake!" Santa exclaimed, startling them all slightly as he re-entered the control room with his elves in tow. "Of course you've been dreaming. Haven't you been paying attention?"

They stood in a row, Santa in the middle as the elves looked just as exasperated as their apparent boss.

"Rudolph," Ian the elf laughed. "Did you see the nose?"

"The North Pole? Come on, with stripes?" Wolf taunted with a shake of his head.

 _This is a dream!_

Even though it made sense, none of them could quite believe it. Not only was everything that happened a dream, but their dream was trying to save them by letting them in on the secret?

"This makes perfect sense," the Doctor breathed before he started a slow circle around Santa and his minions. "The Dream Crab tries to make the dream as real as possible to trap you inside it. It creates dreams within dreams so you can never be sure if you are really awake. But your brain knows something is wrong. Your subconscious fights back. This is your mind trying to tell you this isn't real!"

"So it gives you me," Santa finished for him. " _Sweet Papa Chrimbo."_

"It gives you comedy elves," Ian continued. "Flying reindeer."

As the Doctor was nodding in agreement, Santa motioned towards him with his thumb. "A time-travelling scientist dressed as a magician, who somehow managed to bag a younger and prettier wife," he added, sounding like the very idea was preposterous. Danni flushed happily at Santa's description of her whereas the Doctor straightened, rather insulted.

"No. No, no. Hang on. No, no, no, no," the Doctor snapped. "She is- she _is_ my wife!"

"Yeah," Wolf laughed. "And both of them are living in a phone box."

The Doctor turned to Danni, looking absolutely baffled. "She's a spaceship in disguise," he stated.

"I know, sweetie," Danni replied gently, humouring his confusion. "I live there too, remember?"

"You see how none of this makes any sense?" Santa continued and the Doctor glared at him.

"Shut up, Santa."

Santa straightened slightly, insulted at being told to shut up. He turned away from the Doctor and to the rest of the people in the room. "I have watched over you all your lives," he reminded them. "I've taken care of you from Christmas to Christmas."

"But you're not real," Bellows pointed out, reminding Danni that she had been so happy to meet a guy who didn't exist. That this wasn't like when they'd found Robin Hood in the middle of Sherwood Forest. Santa was all in her head. How was she supposed to show him off to Amy now?

"And yet that never stopped me," Santa retorted. Danni stepped towards him, her hand raised slightly.

"So, let me get this straight; you're not real?" she asked him and he nodded. Her face fell and she almost pouted. "But I got a selfie with you! I was going to show it to Amy! How am I supposed to show that off if you're not bloody real?"

None of them could quite believe that was what she was worried about. They'd all just been told that they were dying and she was complaining about a missed photo opportunity.

"Alright, I have to ask," Clara started as she turned to Danni, hand on her hip. "Why aren't you scared?"

Danni frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know, when I first met you, you were scared of everything," Clara pointed out.

"And then I got better," Danni protested. "I'm a _lot_ older than I was. I've learnt."

"No, she's right," the Doctor added with a frown on his face. "I don't like that she is, but you should be more worried than this. We're in dreams within dreams and you were terrified of waking up, but not of actually being asleep or your brain being eaten."

Danni looked to her husband, her brows furrowed. He seemed to be staring at her suspiciously, and she didn't like it. "Do you think I'm a dream?" she asked slowly. "I'm- I'm not, am I?"

"You tell me," he replied, walking closer to her, head slightly tilted as he watched her closely. "Why aren't you scared?"

She stared back at him for a moment, kind of hurt that he thought he thought she wasn't real. She felt real. She was certain she was real. She turned to look at everyone else, whose experience meant that she was being shot suspicious looks from all round. She wasn't particularly scared, no more than normal, but why would she be? The Doctor would save them, and it wasn't like it was the scariest thing she'd ever seen.

She turned back to her husband. "I guess my nightmares are normally scarier than this," she offered with a little bit of a shrug. "I mean, you're here, Clara's here, Missy _isn't_ here. I've even got Santa and his helpers. Compared to my normal nightmares, brain eating crabs are a little bit of a breeze."

She smiled at him and while it made complete sense, he filed it away for something he needed to help improve. If compared to _this_ her nightmares were worse then he wasn't doing a good job at scaring them away. That was his job; the man who fought the monsters and won. He took hold of both of her hands, pulling her a little closer.

"We'll make sure this is the scariest thing to happen to you," he told her. Clara's eyes widened slightly at the words, her surprise echoed in everyone else but Danni. He surely couldn't have meant what he had said. Why would he want her to be scared?

But Danni gave his hands a squeeze, still smiling. "Thanks, sweetie," she replied gratefully, because she had understood him completely. She leant up to give him a kiss but Santa stepped forward and between them.

"Enough of _that_ ," he told them. "Come here, come on. Join hands."

The Doctor shook his head as the others slowly stepped towards him, still not convinced. "Look. No. Look, we don't need all this touchy-feely stuff," he snapped.

"Shut up, Doctor," Santa retorted. Danni kept hold of her husband's hand as she headed towards Santa. "Join hands. Come on, concentrate."

"Why?" Bellows demanded.

"You are deep inside this dream, all right, and it is a shared mental state," Santa explained, much to Danni's delight. She loved the part where everything was explained. "So it is drawing power from the multi-consciousness gestalt which has now formed telepathically and..."

The Doctor caught the happy look on Danni's face and shot Santa a dark look, pointing at him menacingly. "No. No, No, no, no. Line in the sand!" he exclaimed. "Santa Claus does not do the scientific explanation."

Santa rolled his eyes. "Alright. As the Doctor might say," he put on a rather bad Scottish accent, "' _Oh, it's all a bit dreamy-weamy.'"_

"Why don't you just go and, and make a naughty list?" the Doctor retorted.

"I have, mate, and you're on it."

"Alright, alright," Danni said firmly, stepping in between the pair before a fistfight started. "Enough of that, the pair of you!" They both backed away slightly at her firm look. "We're all dying, except Santa here who apparently isn't real. Don't you think we should be dealing with _that_ instead of arguing?"

The Doctor nodded. "He started it," he grumbled.

" _Ah!_ " Danni snapped in return in warning. "I will put you in a time out."

"This is very sweet," Ashley said sardonically. "But right now I have an alien life form wrapped around my face, and apparently it's digesting my brain." She turned to Santa. "When you speak, how do I know it's not the Dream Crab?"

"Ooo, good question. Spoken like a scientist," Santa replied, clapping her almost mockingly. Obviously the Doctor had got under his skin.

"Can I put it another way?" Clara spoke up. "Why would the part of our brain that is trying to keep all of us alive choose you for a face?"

"Oh, good question," Danni agreed, turning to Santa. "Why is that?"

"Is anyone else asking that?" he asked them all.

Shona raised her hand. "Yeah, yeah. Yeah. All of us." She pointed at all four of the crew members before pointing at him. "All of us. Why you?"

Santa let out a small breath in disbelief before turning, walking away. "Why me?" he asked, laughing slightly before taking a place between his two elves. "It's the North Pole, it's Christmas Day. You're dying. Who you gonna call? Just one last time, huh? One last Christmas, as if your lives depended on it. Please! Ho, ho, ho. Believe in Santa."

Danni had always loved a monologue from an impossible man. Just like with the Doctor, it filled her with happiness, and excitement, and genuine awe. This was what made her life so extraordinary. Even now, even though he wasn't real, she was with _Father Christmas!_

They all took a moment before placing down the manuals, forming a circle. Danni dragged the Doctor over, placing him between Clara and herself as he protested about having to hold hands with anyone.

He looked to his side at their companion and started shaking his head. "Oh no," he said firmly. "I'm not holding hands with her."

"Fine," Clara replied simply with a shrug. "I'll just hold hands with Danni, then."

They both watched out of the corners of their eyes as he processed this information. "No, no, I will only hold hands with Clara and Danielle," he declared. "No one else."

The two women shared an amused look, leaning forward just slightly to see each other around him. Sometimes he was just too easy to predict.

Danni looked over her shoulder to ask Santa if he knew how they could wake up, but he was gone. "Oh," she said in disappointment. "He's gone."

"We're waking up," the Doctor explained to her. "That part of the dream is over. We're on our own now."

"Well, then. What do we do?" Albert asked.

"That pain in your head. Make it worse. Head towards it," the Doctor instructed.

"And you'll be there when I wake up?" Danni asked him and he nodded.

"I promised then, and I promise now," he told her. "Barely any time will have passed at all. The attack is still in progress. We'll still be together."

His sincerity relaxed her and they all closed their eyes.

"Good luck. Stay calm," Ashley instructed as calmly as she could. "And God bless us, every one."

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni felt like she hadn't taken a breath in much too long. A Dream Crab fell off her face for a second time, twitching on the floor next to her along with the ones that dropped off everyone else's faces. She curled up slightly on her side, taking gulps of air as the patients that were still descending on them squealed and writhed in pain.

The Doctor was the first on his feet, but he always was, and he quickly helped Danni onto hers as well. There was a mad dash to get everyone out of the infirmary without getting caught, this time without Santa's help, but they all managed to get on the other side of the door safely.

"Everyone all right?" the Doctor asked them all as they panted for breath. There was universal nodding as everyone was just happy to not be dying any more. "Good." He muttered before holding up his hand, waving once. "Bye." He turned, stalking off. "Don't dawdle, Danielle."

Danni, who just looked at Clara in surprise at the sudden exit, blinked for a moment before smiling at the rest of the stunned and slightly lost crew. "Um, I'll just..." she motioned over his shoulder. "He's not very good with goodbyes." She turned and dashed after him, leaving Clara to try and sort it out.

Who evidently didn't want to, because she was on Danni's heels the moment she could be.

"Doctor," Danni hissed. "We can't just leave them there."

"No need for chatting, you'll only get attached," the Doctor disagreed as he led them both outside and into the snow. "This isn't Facebook."

"But they have no idea what they're supposed to do," Danni pointed out. "Shouldn't we, you know, contact UNIT or something?"

"When they tell the people they're working for what has happened, they will contact UNIT," the Doctor told her. "They're fine."

"You see, I don't think they are," she pressed. "In fact, I think the fact that four of them are still dying is..."

She trailed off, falling to a stop as her eyes widened in surprise. Four of them. There wasn't four of them, there was _eight_ of them. Eight members of staff, but only four manuals. If there was going to be a cost-cutting measure for the base then they would have only been provided with one manual. Providing half of them with manuals made absolutely no sense.

Which meant there was only four people on the base. Which meant the people in the infirmary were...

The Doctor didn't seem to notice her suddenly being hit with this revelation. He did stop, though, only to turn and face her in exasperation. "Look, we've only just woken up," he snapped. "Something you were terrified of doing just a moment ago. Can't we just, you know," he used both of his hands to point at the TARDIS, "just go? I just want us to..."

"Doctor," Danni started.

"Not be separated yet again, is that to much to ask?" he continued as if she wasn't speaking.

"Doctor," she tried again.

"They can look after themselves!"

"Doctor!" she exclaimed and he sighed.

"What?" he snapped.

"There were only four manuals," she told him with a tone that suggested he should see what she was suggesting.

He didn't. "And?"

"And there's _eight_ of them!"

He stared for a moment at her as if he was trying to understand what she was saying. She could see him quickly joining the dots in his mind as Clara frowned.

"So?" she asked. "What does that mean?"

Danni turned to her. "It means that we're still asleep," she explained rapidly. "We've not woken up properly. We're still dreaming."

Clara looked slightly stunned at this new information, but then she gasped, pointing at Danni a couple of times. "Santa!" she exclaimed. "He was on my roof!"

They all stared at each other for a moment before, almost comically, they turned and headed back towards the door that would lead them back into the base. "You know what I hate about the obvious?" he asked them both.

"What?" Clara asked in reply.

"Missing it!"

They found the crew members back in the control room, all looking rather exhausted but still very much fine. The Doctor waved his hands about. "As you were. No saluting," he told them all, even though none of them were. He looked them over with a frown. "Are you the same people as before?"

Clara's brows furrowed. "Of course they are!"

"Oh, sorry, I deleted you," he dismissed like it wasn't a big deal.

"Doctor!" Danni exclaimed angrily as Shona looked positively annoyed.

"Well, that's not a very nice attitude, is it?" she retorted.

"That's because he can be rude when he's being smart," Danni explained to her. "It's not an excuse, but it's been almost a thousand years, I've done the best I can."

The Doctor had made his way over to the manuals but paused with them in his hands. "A thousand..." he started, sounding incredibly confused because that was almost four hundred years more than he would have estimated. But then again, he had more important things to worry about than his loss of memories. Still, it sat strangely.

"Nevermind. Four manuals, yes?" he asked and they all nodded.

"Yes, why?" Ashley asked him.

"One each?" Danni asked and again they all seemed rather confused over the questioning.

"One each, yes," Albert confirmed. "What's the problem?"

"Well, the problem is, you can't see the problem," the Doctor explained. "For instance, you, gobby one." He chucked one of the manuals to Shona.

"Shona," Danni told him. "I've warned you once, Doctor."

"Yes, yes, Shona," he quickly rambled off. "When we first met you in the infirmary, what were you doing?"

"Mmm. It's a long story," she replied, not quite sure what it had to do with anything.

It had to do with _everything._ The Doctor chucked another manual at Ashley, who barely caught it before it hit her. "Uptight boss one. What is the primary mission of this polar base?"

"It's a long story," she replied with a little bit of a laugh, even as her words caused her to pause for thought.

He chucked another manual to Bellows. "Startlingly sure one," he said, much to her confusion. "What brings you to the North Pole at your age?"

"It's a long..." she paused as she realised her words were just the same as the rest. "Story."

The Doctor shot her a nod to let her know she was on the right track as he chucked the last manual to Albert.

"Okay, why are they all giving the same answer?" Clara asked. "Because that is a tiny bit freaky."

"Because we're all still asleep," Danni reminded her. Her hands were clenching and unclenching by her side and her panic was steadily rising. She hadn't felt this anxious about their situation since they'd first landed, even in her dream with the Doctors she had just not wanted to be alone. No, still dreaming, still _not knowing_ was really starting to wear down the nerves she'd carefully been holding together since it became apparent that she might not wake up by his side.

She'd woken up too many times without her husband. It was becoming too much.

"We're still asleep," she repeated softly. "When we landed on your roof we were following a signal, but I don't know where from, or where to. Do you remember?"

Clara shrugged. "It's a long story," she said without thinking. Then she thought about it. "Oh."

"Dreams," the Doctor declared and Danni's attention was immediately back on him. She knew that tone of voice. He was getting into his 'clever' mode, about to show everyone where they'd missed the obvious and she loved it. "They're funny. Ha, ha, ha." He waved his hands about. "They're disjointed. They're, they're silly. They're full of gaps. But you don't notice, because the dream protects itself. Stops you asking the right questions. For example, why do you have four manuals, one each, when you have a crew of eight?" The crew blinked, staring at him bewildered as this piece of information seemed to be brand new to them. The dream had stopped them seeing the obvious. "Or did you forget about your friends in the infirmary here?" He motioned to the monitors, which still showed a feed of all the unconscious patients.

"But we woke up!" Albert protested.

"Dreams within dreams," the Doctor countered. "I warned you."

Yeah, he had warned them. Danni couldn't stop the anxious energy coming out in each squeeze of her hands into fists. She just wanted to know she was awake. She just wanted to know that she wasn't going to be away from his side. She just wanted to know that she wasn't with Missy anymore, and the Doctor's words were less than reassuring in that regard.

"Danielle?" he called and she snapped out of her thoughts, turning to him. He was looking at her in concern and she had to wonder if he'd called her name more than once. She didn't ask, though.

"Yes?"

"Page number," he commanded. "Make it a good one."

She stared at her husband, whose mere presence was enough for her to try and fight through her worry. He always made her feel better. "Twelve."

The little turn up of his lips said that he knew exactly why she had chosen that number and that also made her smile.

They all opened their books.

 _Very, very, very dead._

"And who's going to be the first to admit it?" the Doctor asked them all.

"Admit what?" Ashley asked.

"That we've all still got the headache," Danni finished lowly, unable to look anyone in the eye. She had to pull herself together. It was getting out of hand. If she was dreaming about him in a shared dream, he had to be there, right?

"Doctor?" Clara rushed over to the monitors, her sudden movement pulling the two Time Lords along with her. "What are they doing?"

The patients in the infirmary were slowly sitting up once again, making their way towards the cameras that were watching them.

"They're waking up," Danni breathed as she caught sight of one of their name badges. Her theory had been right. The patients were the crew. "They're escalating the situation."

"I don't understand," Ashley said.

"Well, look at them. Go on. Look at them. Look at them properly," the Doctor told them. Slowly the crew walked over to the monitors, doing as he said. "Look who they are. They're you. The Sleepers are you!"

"How can they be us?" Shona asked as she couldn't tear her eyes from the screen. She finally noticed her name tag on one of the patients, but how did that even work?

"Because we're dreaming, all of us. This base isn't real. None of us are actually standing in the room." He motioned between himself and Danni. "Danielle and myself are probably asleep in our TARDIS. Clara, you must be in bed." He turned back to the rest of the crew. "God knows where the rest of you are, probably scattered all over the world. But wherever you are, the Dream Crabs have got us, and we're all being networked into the same nightmare."

"What are they doing?" Bellow asked as the Sleepers slowly made their way towards the cameras.

"It's your subconscious again. The Sleepers represent the part of your mind that's already surrendered to the attack. These are dream images of what's coming to kill you."

"That's me? That's actually me?" Albert exclaimed, walking closer to the monitor that was showing his own Sleeper on it.

"No, it's a metaphorical construct representing a psychic attack within a shared dreamscape. Do please keep up," the Doctor snapped. He didn't have time for idiots when he needed to get his wife and the rest of them safe and awake again.

"But it's me!" Albert exclaimed again, leaning in even closer.

"Don't get too close," the Doctor warned but, as always, they never listened to him. As Albert reached forward to the monitor, the hand of his Sleeper counterpart reached to the camera. And then through the camera, straight for Albert's shirt.

No one saw her move, but Danni was by his side like a shot, pulling him away before he could get sucked him and shoving the heavyset man away from the monitor. The Doctor instinctively moved forward to save her, but the look on her face said she didn't need saving at all. In fact, it said she was absolutely livid.

"What the actual fuck are you doing?!" she shouted at the stunned man, who only stuttered slightly in reply. "Have you never seen a movie in your life? Have you never seen _The Ring?!_ Why the hell would you move close to it?!" Her voice was rising to an almost shrill level and it became painfully clear to both Clara and the Doctor that her worry came from somewhere other than the idiot in front of them. "Why don't you just listen to what's going on around you?! It could have killed you, you stupid, little..."

"Okay, okay!" Clara exclaimed, stepping in between the two before Danni could attack him further. The Sleepers on the screens seemed to have stopped their attacks as everyone's full attention was off the danger and on the raging woman in the control room. "What is going on? What's gotten into you?"

Danni's wide eyes scared Clara. "I'm not waking up again," she swore. "I can't, I can't do it again. Again and again, and he's _never_ there! I'm not waking up to find her watching me again!"

Clara frowned. "Her?" she repeated in confusion.

The question had all of Danni's anger fade to panic and terror and worry. "Missy!" she exclaimed before looking over at her husband, who had actually been too stunned at her outburst to do anything but stare. Everything he had learnt about comforting her had flown out of the window at the sight of her tears. "Time and time again, everytime I woke up, she was there. She's _always_ there. I don't- I can't wake up again and it not be you." Her words trailed off, falling to barely a whisper.

"Of course I'm going to be there," he told her in a tone that said she was stupid for thinking otherwise. "Of course I am." He walked over, placing his hands on her arms and making sure she was focusing on nothing but him. "I saved you, remember? You are safe. Well, apart from the parasite currently eating your brain. We have to leave before they kill us in the dream."

He was right, she was overreacting but she was just so terrified. It was never him, it was always _her_.

"What happens if you're not there?" she asked him, her voice hitching at the end.

"Then I will find you," he promised. "I'm always going to find you." She smiled slightly, his words pacifying her panic enough for her to realise they were still in danger.

"What happens if we die in the dream?" Shona asked.

"You'll wake up in the real world, dead," he replied shortly. A quick glance at the monitors showed the creatures reaching through like Albert's Sleeper hand had done. "Look out, they're coming through. Out! Outside, now! Run, run, run, run! Run! Clara, run. Run, all of you, run. Run!"

He waved them all out, practically pushing his wife through the door before picking up a fire extinguisher. It didn't do much, he hadn't expected it to, but he tried all the same. He had to save them all. He had to save her. He had to prove he could do it, although for the life of him he couldn't work out why.

He dashed out into the snow, following the rest of the rather cold humans into the outside world. He quickly sonicked the door locked in a last ditch attempt to keep the Sleepers away.

"Doctor, what do we do?" Danni asked him, arms wrapped around her to try and hug the little warmth left in her jacket. "They'll kill us if they get out!"

"But it, it's just a dream!" Shona exclaimed through her shivering.

"This dream almost killed your friend here," the Doctor snapped, storming over to his wife to rub her arms vigorously. He wasn't going to save her just for her to die from the cold.

"It can't have been trying to kill me," Albert protested.

" _Everything_ is trying to kill you," Danni retorted firmly. "The whole universe is out to kill everything in some way. Stop being stupid! If we don't wake up, we're going to die too!"

"But how?" Clara asked them both. The Doctor looked around, keeping his wife as close as possible. He couldn't lose her now, not with her so close. He had to keep her safe, and the one place in the universe he trusted her to be completely protected was the TARDIS.

As the Sleepers started punching the door so hard they made dents in the metal, he began pulling Danni towards the TARDIS. "The TARDIS! Come on!" he instructed them all.

"It's not the real TARDIS!" Danni protested. "She's just a dream."

"Well, let's hope that we dreamed it really well, then," he retorted. The doors opened and they skidded to a stop in the snow as three figures stepped out, two short and one tall, all with Dream Crabs on their faces.

"It's us," Clara breathed in horror as the Doctor felt like slapping himself for not thinking of that sooner.

"Of course it's us. We're dreaming too!"

"Oh, my God," Shona breathed and they turned around to see dozens of Sleepers slowly making their way towards them.

"How is that possible? How can there be so many?" Bellows exclaimed in a full blown panic. Danni couldn't blame her. She clutched the Doctor's arm tightly, burying her face in his arm as she thought about what was waiting for her if she woke up. She'd never be allowed to just _die_. She didn't want to wake up.

"The logic of a nightmare," the Doctor said as an explanation, and they all understood. If a nightmare wanted to scare you, it would, even if it had to bend logic to do so.

"So tell us how to wake up!" Shona exclaimed. "Because you're always talking like you're so clever, going on and on. So tell us what to do!"

Normally Danni would have scolded her for shouting at her husband, but she just wanted him to say he didn't have a clue. It was such a conflicting feeling, because she wanted him to be safe and awake, but every part of her wanted to stay asleep.

"We have to leave this place," the Doctor told them all.

"How?" Bellows exclaimed.

"Use your imagination. Dream yourselves home!"

"But how?"

He grinned to himself. It came to him quickly and suddenly, like a smack on the head. Oh, Danni was going to _love_ this.

"Come on, it's Christmas, the North Pole. Who you gonna call?"

They all heard the jingling of bells and looked upwards at the sky and away from the suddenly not so terrifying threat. Santa, with his reindeer, were circling them, flying downwards to the ground until he parked just by them. None of them had ever been so relieved to see a figment of their imagination before.

"Get in the sleigh!" Santa exclaimed and none of them needed telling twice. The crew climbed in the back where the presents would have been. The Doctor helped Danni onto the seat behind the man in red before climbing in the front next to him. Clara quickly slid next to Danni and the Time Lord clung to her friend tightly.

"Fortunately, I know all your home addresses. _Yah!_ " He whipped the reins and they were flying into the sky.

"So what happens now? This is us just waking up, right?" Clara asked and he nodded.

"Could be," he replied in the kindest voice he'd used towards her that night. He glanced back at his wife, who was holding onto Clara, but her terror seemed to have gone. He didn't want to bring, so he kept the other possibilities to himself.

"You want to take the reins, Doctor?" Santa asked him and Danni watched as her husband tried to brush it off as a childish idea.

"You're a dream construct, currently representing either my recovering or expiring mind," he pointed out.

"Yes, but do you want a go?" Santa asked him, and the Doctor struggled for just a moment longer before grinning.

"Yeah. All right!" Santa handed him the reins and Clara watched Danni as she smiled softly, watching her husband having the time of his life. He struggled to get them on a straight path – not the best driver, who would have guessed? - but soon he was flying them all in a straight line.

"Look at me!" he cried, overjoyed. "Danni-Girl! Look at me!"

If Clara didn't know any better, she would have said Danni winced at the nickname, but she knew that the Doctor bringing out the old nickname was something Danni cherished when it happened.

One by one, everyone started to remember the lives outside the dream. It had gone pretty deep. None of them were scientists, in fact Shona worked in a shop of Albert didn't work at all. They all slowly woke up and Clara suspected none of them would remember their little adventure.

Well, she, Danni and the Doctor would, she was sure of it. Time travel changed your perception of things, and she suspected dreams were just another thing they'd see that no one else would.

She still didn't understand why Danni wasn't falling into the joy her husband was feeling, though. Usually when the Doctor was this happy then Danni was as well. It was sickly sweet, and a part of her life with Danny Pink she missed terribly.

She brushed the thought aside, though, and nudged her friend. "What's wrong?" she asked Danni. "We're waking up."

Danni's lips tilted in a mockery of a smile. "Exactly," she replied before turning in her seat to Clara. "I remember."

Clara frowned. "Remember what?" she asked. Danni seemed to take a moment to think of her reply, which just worried Clara further.

"You know when the Doctor saved me from Missy?" she asked Clara in return, who nodded.

"Of course, he never shuts up about it," she replied with a little hint of annoyance in her tone, even though she didn't mean it. He could brag all he liked, because Danni was safe and sound.

"I bet," Danni said with a little laugh. "Tell me about it."

"Why?" Clara asked, confused.

"Just- Just humour me, yeah?" Danni pressed. "Tell me."

Clara shrugged. "Well, it's a long story, isn't it?"

The way she said it was incredibly casual, but the absolute coldness that washed over her afterwards was anything but. Her eyes widened and she finally saw the way Danni was barely holding it together. The tears were in her eyes but they weren't falling. Her lips were pressed together tightly.

"I-I don't understand," Clara whispered.

"When you wake up, will you be with him?" Danni asked instead of explaining. "Where are you? Are you at home, or on the TARDIS?"

"I- I think I'm on the TARDIS," she replied because her memories were still a little fuzzy. "With you and the Doctor. I know it!"

"When you wake up, go to him," Danni begged her quietly, taking both of her hands while the Doctor was still distracted. "Don't let wake up on his own. Please, Clara."

"No, no, I don't understand," Clara repeated firmly. "How can you be here with us if you're not with him?"

Danni's lips pulled into a sneer. "You're here by accident. I'm here by design."

"What does that even mean?"

" _Well, it a Kantrofarri," Missy explained as she held up the creature aloft. "And it's either going to show you that your husband doesn't care where you are, or it's going to melt your brain into a lovely soup."_

"It means that you can't let him be on his own when he wakes up," Danni replied firmly, her voice low as she tried to keep her husband from hearing. "It's going to hurt him. Don't let him be on his own."

"He won't want me there," Clara replied softly, her own tears flowing. She clung to Danni tightly, pulling her into a hug. She couldn't believe that this was happening. Danni was going to be ripped away from them and there was nothing they could do.

"Where are you?" she asked quickly, pulling back. "Tell him. He'll remember. He'll want to know."

Danni shook her head, laughing wetly and hollowly. "I don't know," she replied. She sounded so devastated. "She never lets me know. She likes to keep me completely dependant on her."

"Tell him anyway," Clara begged. "You can't let him wake up without knowing. It'll break his heart..."

"His heart is going to break either way," Danni interrupted. "Please, Clara. Let him have this. Wake up, and find him for me. Look after him. Tell him I know he's coming for me. Tell him." Danni swallowed, pushing down her own pain. There was nothing either of them could do. "Tell him I'm not scared."

"But you are," Clara whispered and Danni nodded.

"Tell him otherwise."

Clara didn't say anything more. She disappeared from view and Danni knew that she had woken up. All she could hope for was that she remembered and that she ran to her husband as fast as she could. The Doctor wouldn't want Clara there, but Danni knew Clara would do as she asked and stay with him no matter what the Doctor treated her like in return.

She looked at the back of her husband's head, listening to him chatter and laugh happily with Santa. She knew that it was going to hurt him so much, but the reason she didn't tell him now was for her own selfish reasons. If he found out, if he realised for even a moment they weren't together, he'd startle himself out of the dream and she wasn't ready to lose him yet. He'd have to wake up soon, but they'd wake up together, even if they'd be in separate places when they finally did so.

She stood up very carefully, climbing onto the seat next to him. He almost lost control of the sleigh making sure she didn't fall, but he was too happy to be annoyed.

"Do you want a go?" he asked her and she shook her head.

"Since when did you let me drive anything?" she asked in reply. He took a moment to think about it, then nodded in agreement.

"Good point."

She smiled and leant on his arm, closing her eyes. It wasn't real, but it felt it. For a moment she was back home with him. For a moment Missy wasn't holding her captive, watching her every move like a hawk, twisting reality around her to make her think that the Doctor was there time and time again. For a moment, she was safe.

"I love you," she told her husband, who looked down at the top of her head.

"I love you too," he replied softly. He didn't like the pain that the words brought up. It didn't make any sense. Loving her was easy, and wonderful. Nothing about loving her should make him want to cling to her tightly and never let her go in such a panicked fashion. "Danielle?" he asked lowly, confused. He knew she could feel it too by the way she shook against him. "What's wrong?"

She wanted to hold onto the happiness, but she could feel the reality around them fading and she couldn't keep the fear at bay like she'd wanted to. "I know you'll find me," she whispered. "Hurry up, Theta, please. She's already done so much. Find me. Please."

"Find..."

He didn't have time to gasp. He didn't have time to question her. His mind suddenly was flooded with an absolutely horrific realisation. All he had time to do was look into her beautiful, brown, terror-filled eyes and he shot up off the floor, gasping for air.

He was in the TARDIS. He wasn't on the sleigh. The sleigh wasn't real. He reached up, hands shaking as he ran his hands through his rough, raggedy hair, shaking his head as the realisation continued to beat at him like a wave refusing to be ignored.

She wasn't here.

He shot up off the floor and ran to the console, smashing every button with an urgency that he used to try and drown out what he already knew. She wasn't on the TARDIS, she wasn't anywhere. She hadn't been saved. He hadn't saved her. It was all just a dream.

He could hear the footsteps echoing on the metal of the floor in the hallway and, even though he knew better, he spun in the hope that the TARDIS was just playing a trick and that Danielle was about to jump out and say surprise.

Clara appeared in the doorway and promptly froze. She hadn't expected to find him staring at her, manic eyed and waiting. She hadn't expected him to be awake, but then again barely any time at all seemed to have passed so she wasn't sure if how long they'd had together.

A wave of pity hit her. He thought she was going to be Danni, didn't he?

"This is all your fault," he stated suddenly. He didn't even seem angry at her. The words still hurt, though, but she had learnt a while ago to just let him say them. Months and months of running and searching and dead ends had taught her that once he'd ranted and raved, his energy would come back. If it meant that he could find Danni quicker, she would take all the abuse he could throw at her.

"What happened?" Clara asked instead of acknowledging his words. She stepped into the console room. Keeping him on track might help him. "I woke up next to a pile of dust. How did they even get on the TARDIS?"

"Probably when we landed on the volcano," he replied shortly. He'd gone to the volcanic planet because it was where he had intended on taking Clara when she'd asked for lava. The whole dream sequence had been based off the planet, and part of him had wondered if Missy had taken her there to taunt him a little bit further.

There hadn't been any signs of her, but there wasn't any signs of her anywhere. Just stories that people couldn't seem to place.

He said no more and, after the short tense silence Clara waited through to see if he was going to shout at her further, she took another few steps forward. "I asked her if she knew where Missy was keeping her," she explained softly. "She said Missy didn't let her know."

"Don't be stupid," the Doctor snapped at her. "She wasn't even- even real. You were talking to a figment of our joint imagination."

He sounded angry, but stutter showed that he was devastated by the idea that not only did he not know where the woman he loved was, but that he was being taunted by images of her. Clara shook her head.

"No, she was real," she said firmly. "She said Missy had put her there to make her see you weren't coming. She wanted me to tell you that she knew you were coming for her."

"You have no idea if she was real or not," the Doctor replied, as if the case was closed and he was right. She guessed that, even though he would give anything for it to be Danni, for it to have been her and him not even know might have been too hard for him to bare. But she knew that the little reprieve from being separated would help him more if he accepted it.

"I do," Clara replied. "Do you know what she said to me? Do you know what, more than anything, she wanted me to tell you? Hmm?" He opened his mouth to reply but she didn't let him. "She wanted me to tell you that she wasn't scared." His mouth hung open slightly as his words trailed off and she knew that she had him. "If we had dreamt her up we _both_ would have made her terrified of everything, but she wasn't, because when she won't admit she scared we both know she is. If we had dreamt her up she would have begged for our help." She pointed at him. "You would have made her blame you, because that's what you're like. She was just worried about you. She wanted you to hurry, but not to worry. That is Danni to the core."

He pressed his lips together, turning away from her for a moment and she steeled herself for the tirade about to come her way. The one about how she didn't know Danni as well as he did, and how dare she even suggest otherwise.

The Doctor wasn't preparing his words, he was trying to settle his own emotions. They had all flared up and were bubbling around inside of him and he couldn't let them overwhelm him. She had been in the dream which meant that, at least somewhere, she was still alive. He wasn't fighting to find his dead wife. He was still fighting to save her. That should have given him strength, and drive, to continue his search but he couldn't focus on that.

She had wanted him to know that she wasn't scared.

It was a lie. He knew it would have been. He knew that, no matter what, his Danielle was strong and she would be resisting and surviving anything Missy was throwing her way. But he also knew that she had to be terrified, and that her words were a comfort to him only because it meant she was still herself. That in the midst of the horror that he could only imagine happening to her, she was still herself. She was still looking after him.

Clara watched as he ran another hand through his hair, watched the way he seemed to deflate, his shoulders falling, and the way he refused to even look at her. She knew how close he was to crumbling or raging at the universe and held her breath to see which one it was so she could handle it appropriately.

He started flicking switches and the TARDIS shuddered into flight. She stumbled slightly and had to grab hold of the railings on the stairs to keep herself from falling over. "Where are we going?" she asked before a thought came to her. Her eyes widened and she took in a sharp breath. "Can you follow the dream?" she asked hopefully. "Trace it back to her?"

He didn't reply for a moment as he just continued to fly the TARDIS to wherever he was taking her. He then turned. "You look awful," he told her bluntly. "A rest will do you good. I'm dropping you off home for a couple days."

She ignored the insult and just frowned at his plans. "But I thought you wanted me to help find her," she said. "I want to help find her. I can go back home afterwards."

"I can't have you messing things up being exhausted," he countered. "I will pick you up in a couple of days. Sleep. Shower. Do whatever it is you humans do to recharge."

She was exhausted, but they all were. "What about you?" she asked. "You're just as worn out as me."

He scoffed. "You seem to think that I'm as weak as you lot," he retorted. "I have other people to worry about other than you, Miss Oswald. I have an army of people I need to go pick up. Perkins is in the Inforarium, I need to see if he's found anything out and I can't have you hanging around being all… tired."

A rest did sound nice. And he had a time machine, he could just pick her up a couple of days later for her and a moment later for him. "Is that the place where he had to wear the eyepatch thing?" she asked anyway, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Anything concerning me or Danielle is memory proof. How else is he supposed to remember what he's found?" he retorted as the TARDIS landed. He said it like it made so much sense, but as usual he kept everyone out of the loop.

"Alright, fine," she snapped, heading for the door. "Two days, Doctor, or I'm coming for you."

He quickly followed, almost shoving her out of the door. "Yes, yes, you're very frightening and domineering. Two traits that must come in very handy with your students. Get some rest and don't call."

He shut the door in her face and took his screwdriver out of his pocket, pointing at the console and setting them into flight once again before Clara realised that he'd rushed her out without much choice. He slid to the floor, back against the door as he stared into the console room, the numbness falling over him again.

Missy was taunting him. Not only had she hidden Danni in plain sight across the universe, she now had the knowledge and means to taunt him with his wife directly. If Missy could connect them via dreams and yet have him know absolutely nothing at the end, then she really did have the upper hand. She'd taken Danni, and whatever little game she was playing, she had truly won.

His fight had gone. He could feel it being rapidly being replace by a hopelessness that he wasn't sure he could fight through. He would look for the rest of his lives for Danni, but he'd never find her. Missy would make sure of that. He was never going to see her again.

As the tears fell thick and fast, all he could think about was how he had failed her. His Danielle. Who had looked to him for safety, for help, to be saved from hell. He'd failed her, and she was going to be punished for the rest of time for his crime.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Sorry for the little break between the chapters, but as you can see this was a mammoth of a chapter so I hope it was worth it XD_

 _The little Missy snippet is from chapter 9 of Undone, for those who want to nip back for the full scene._

 _I don't really have much to add, to be honest. So I'll jump straight into reviews :)_

 _Reviews!_

 _ **Midnight** **Alley** \- Thanks sweetie!_

 _ **Naventis** \- I hope this answered your question, sweetie! Thanks :)_

 _ **whitedwarf** \- Thanks sweetie! You're always so lovely to me. I don't think I deserve it. A little devastated I think is the answer to that question._

 _ **J. J. Jefferys** \- Hope you enjoyed this, sweetie :)_

 _ **Authora97** \- That was the plan! Hope you liked this one too :)_

 _ **LoveandAngst** \- Ah, she was real after all. Hope you liked it XD_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Well, maybe not secrets. We'll get more into in the next chapter or two XD_

 _ **melremade** \- Thanks sweetie! Hope you liked it :)_

 _ **Quinnmarie** \- Not quite! Yeah, Missy is quite cruel, isn't she? We'll see more as time goes on._

 _ **bored411** \- There's a little bit of the aftermath here, but I can't tell you more than that I'm afraid. Thanks sweetie :)_


	6. Trapped

Danni sat up, the Dream Crab falling off her face and onto the bed next to her. She gulped for air as she watched it writhe, and scream, before finally disintegrating into a pile of dust on the covers. None of it had been real. The north pole, Santa Claus, the Sleepers. The only things that had been real had been the people there. Her best friend and her husband.

She didn't have to look up from the pile of dust to know that she wasn't alone. "How did you manage to link the dreams?" she asked Missy, genuinely curious and latching onto it so her hearts would stop aching.

"It's easy enough," Missy replied from the chair she was currently sat in. It matched the room perfectly; dark wood and brown fabric. "Time travel is always possible in dreams, and you're _always_ thinking about him."

Danni nodded to herself but didn't say anything more about it. She focused on committing everything about him to memory. It had been so long since she'd seen him, so many years, that she realised that if she wasn't careful she was going to forget him completely.

"I didn't think you were ever going to wake up," Missy continued. "You were under that horrid thing for _ages_. But, I suppose, it got the job done. Did he leave you to die? I bet that was heartbreaking to go through."

Danni shook her head slowly. "He didn't," she replied, her lips pulling into a smile that was so rare it felt strange on her face. "He saved me. He's coming for me. He's always going to try and save me." She looked at Missy with a glint in her eyes. She had been finding it harder and harder to find her strength to keep fighting Missy. But just seeing him almost kill himself to save her just renewed her drive to still be there when he came for her. "My husband loves me," she told Missy confidently. "And he will _always_ find me."

This was obviously not what Missy had wanted to hear. Danni watched her face fall into a set, emotionless look that she knew meant Missy was angry. Incredibly angry. She straightened slightly in fright, but she didn't lower her gaze and she didn't retract her words.

Missy reached out and cupped her cheek, stroking her thumb over her skin in an imitation of a comforting gesture. "Oh, my Pet," she said with pity laced in her tone. "He's not coming for you. He makes you believe these things, but he never follows through. He always breaks his promises and it's not because he tries, it's because he just doesn't care."

Danni tilted her head away from her touch. "He does," she replied firmly. "You won't convince me otherwise. You will _never_ win me over."

"Oh, Danielle," she sighed, moving her hand away from Danni and standing up. "Danni, Danni, Danni. If he was coming for you, he would have by now. It's been too long."

"He has to search all over time and space," Danni pointed out. "12 years is nothing with that. It's just a margin of error."

"Now _that_ is a dilution neither me or the Doctor are responsible for," she replied with a laugh. "I know you spend a lot of your time sleeping, Danielle, but 12 years? Really? Is that all you think that's passed?"

Danni rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop it," she snapped. "Do you really think you can fool me with that again? I _know_ it's only been 12 years and nothing you can do can convince me otherwise."

"You keep believing that, dear," Missy humoured. "Keep believing that he's coming for you. Keep thinking he hasn't abandoned you for decades. One day you will see that he has, and you'll be thankful I showed you what your marriage actually is; a shambles."

She paused before walking out of the room, turning and pointing at the pile of dust on the bed. "Oh, and clean that up," she commanded. "I can't stand a dirty bed."

She left Danni on her own, the familiar sound of the door locking echoing in Danni's head. She stared at the door for the longest time, willing it to open. But it didn't. And the Doctor didn't step through.

"He's coming for me," she whispered to herself. "He is. She's lying."

But as she stood up and headed to the cupboard for the vacuum cleaner, she knew that Missy was starting to win. She quickly cleaned up the mess because Missy was right. It'd feel like having biscuit crumbs in the sheets, and that was a horrid feeling.

She paused as she placed the vacuum back, leaning her forehead against the door frame and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Theta, please," she begged out into the universe. "I'm giving up on you. _Please_."

 _~0~0~0~_

Everything Missy did was a source of suspicion. Every meal she was fed, every book she was allowed to read, every item handed to her could either be just exactly what it was intended to be, or some way of making Danni's life a living hell.

"We're going out," Missy had said happily that morning. "Wear something pretty, you're going to love it."

Danni doubted it very much. Unless it was a sudden handing of her over to her husband, with a promise to never see Missy ever again, Danni knew that whatever happened was going to have some sort of string attached.

This trip out, for example, actually didn't involve going out at all. It involved being strapped up to a computer. This was definitely something Danni didn't like – it felt too much like dreaming – but it wasn't like she had much of a choice so she gritted her teeth and let Missy do what she wanted.

She wasn't sure what she expected to see when she woke up in the new world, but a large green field definitely wasn't it.

"What is this supposed to be?" she asked Missy, looking down the field towards a tree standing at the other end. Bushes boarded the edge of the field they were standing in, but the greenery stretched out as far as they could both see.

"It's what I've been working on for a while, now," Missy explained. "Welcome to Paradise."

She looked at Danni expectantly, almost like the captive woman was supposed to break out into applause at it. Instead, Danni looked up at the sky and the grey clouds that hung overhead.

"I thought Paradise was supposed to have nice weather," she commented. "It looks like it's about to rain."

Missy deflated slightly. "Yeah, well, that's Wales for you," she replied. "The whole of the UK is wet and rainy."

"Wales?" Danni repeated. "Why is Paradise Wales?"

"It's not. It's just one version of it. You see, you see what you want to see. Some people see beaches, some people see home."

"And you see Wales?" Danni finished and she shook her head.

"You don't recognise it, do you?" Missy asked her.

"Why would I recognise a field in Wales?"

Missy smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she turned her to face the tree at the other end of the field. "You ran to that tree, once," she told her. "Then you made daisy chains, remember?"

Danni's breath caught slightly as her eyes widened. She didn't recognise the field – it was just a field, they were all pretty much the same – but she remembered the trip vividly. She dreamt about it a lot, especially since waking up in the dark bedroom she was calling home for the foreseeable future. It was the moment things between her and the Master became blurry, one of the many reasons she found herself missing her previous incarnation.

"You brought me here on the Valiant," she said softly, amazed. She turned to Missy. "Why does it look like this?"

Missy shrugged. "My little Paradise is programmed to be whatever your brain thinks it should be," she explained. " _This_ is where your mind thinks your personal paradise is."

Danni snorted. "Yeah, right," she retorted. "My Paradise is a blue time travelling box, everyone knows that."

"Don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger," Missy replied with her hands up. Danni frowned. There was a chance that this actually was quite a calming place for her. After all, she remembered having quite a good time with the Master in that field in Wales. They'd cloud watched together, and she'd felt the wind on her skin after months of being stuck in that infernal air base. He'd taken her down that just because she'd mentioned to him that she'd missed the ground.

She glanced at Missy. She'd grown enough, and come to terms with enough, to know that before it had all gone wrong she'd enjoyed the attention that Koschei had given her. She'd been in love with the Doctor way before she'd met him, but she'd seen the Master on TV, and she wasn't ashamed to admit that she had been flattered. If she'd not asked for the drumming, she might have actually called them friends.

She blinked, still startled by her own thoughts. She really missed the previous Master. That _really_ wasn't good.

" _But_ , that's not why I brought you here," Missy continued, oblivious to where Danni's thoughts had taken her. She was glad of the distraction. That definitely wasn't a road she was comfortable going down.

Missy reached out in front of her, seeming grabbing nothing. But, when she pulled her hand back, a door opened with it into a rather crisp-looking hallway.

"Alright, that was pretty cool," Danni admitted and Missy smiled.

"I'm glad you like it, my Pet," she replied, stepping through to the other side. Danni quickly followed and turned to see the door closed. It looked like a doorway on this side, which surprised her slightly. Then again, though, if you were going to find the door again, you probably needed to know where it was.

"And this is, what, the office building of Paradise?"

Missy just shot her a look that warned her that her cheekiness was starting to get on her nerves. Danni was in a constant state of anger around her capture, but she also knew when to shut her mouth. Luckily, a man exited one of the doors and seemed to perk up at the sight of them. He had short black hair and a cheesy grin that told Danni instantly he had been born to work in an office.

"Ah, Ma'am, I did wonder if we were going to see you today," he greeted her. "There's a few issues we've been having with some of the..."

"I'm not here to see you," Missy told him bluntly. "This is Danielle's first time here. Let's not ruin it with your stupid questions."

The man didn't seem too fazed by Missy's attitude towards him, which Danni knew instantly that it meant he'd spent quite a bit of time with her. She'd become just as desensitised to her insults over the years. However, he was staring at her with a surprised look on his face.

"This is Danielle?" he asked before holding his hand out to her. "Seb. It's fantastic to finally meet you."

Danni took a look at Missy, who rolled her eyes but nodded. Danni reached out and shook his hand. He was rather an eager hand shaker. It was a bit off-putting. "Uh, great to meet you too, I guess..."

"Would you like me to give her a tour?" he asked Missy. "We've just had some new arrivals, she could see how we process them."

"No, thank you," Missy snapped. "She's my pet, I'll look after her. Get back to work." With a bow of his head he rushed down the hall and into another room.

"New arrivals?" Danni queried. "What is this place?"

"It's my new project," Missy told her. "Just something I have been doing in my spare time. I like to have more in my life than looking after you. A hobby, of sorts."

Danni rolled her eyes, but didn't comment on how she'd not actually _asked_ to be taken care of. "Of sorts?"

"Well, I can't say I'm doing it just because it's fun. Paradise is more..." she took a hiss of breath through her teeth. "It's more of a long drawn plan. I came to realise that your husband would only keep looking for you if he was bored, and… well… neither of us want him to be bored, do we?"

"Uh huh," Danni replied shortly.

"So I thought ' _it's his birthday soon, I'll build him an army_ '."

Danni's brows furrowed. "And so you decided to build a virtual paradise?"

"No, silly," Missy laughed and Danni's skin crawled slightly at the flirtatious tones. "I created an afterlife! A place for all of those pathetic humans with their teeny tiny lifespans will come here when they die! Their minds are uploaded into the hard drive and they get to live in their own personal paradises."

Danni hated the fact that she was rather impressed. "The whole of the deceased human consciousness on one hard drive?" she asked. "That can't be possible."

"It's a matrix data-slice. Do keep up, dear."

"So you've created a… well, a heaven, basically?" Danni asked, pausing at a door without really thinking. Missy let her open it without complaint but all on that was on the other side was an office.

"That's right," Missy praised.

"And you built an office building in the middle?"

"Well, it's data storage, it needs organising, doesn't it?" she pointed out and Danni nodded slowly, closing the door. "Are you impressed, my Pet?"

She didn't really want to admit it, but her lips pulled into a small smile. "Yes, I am," she said. "I always said you had such a great mind. And look, you've put it to such a good use. All these people are going to be able to see their loved ones again. I'm… I'm actually rather proud of you."

Maybe there was still hope. Maybe what Missy needed was a good influence in her life to direct that genius in a better direction. If she could just see that she didn't have to take over the universe then maybe she would stop doing such horrific things. And maybe she'd take Danni home to her husband.

"Just you wait," Missy told her gleefully. "I haven't told you the best part."

Danni faltered slightly. "The best part?" she asked slowly, a new, uneasy feeling falling over her.

"Storing minds is easy," Missy replied. "Even you could work it out if I gave you the tools and a rudimentary text book. No, the hard part was what to do with them afterwards."

"Afterwards?" Danni repeated. "You mean when the slice is full?"

"No, I mean what to do with the minds once they were uploaded. I realised that your husband was going to be bored without someone to boss about. So, I decided to give him an army. And, well, we all know what the best army is." Danni confused look exasperated her slightly and she sighed. "Cybermen, dear, _Cybermen._ I'm going to upgrade the bodies and download the minds back in. All for his command. He can race across the universe and be the good guy he wants to be, but with an army to help stop all the bad guys."

Danni just stared, wide eyed and horrified. "You can't be serious?" she exclaimed. "Cybermen?!"

Missy smiled with a little shrug. "What can I say? I think outside the box."

"That's- That's horrific!" Danni cried. "You're supposed to be smart! Why would you do this?!"

"Because it's _fun!_ " Missy said like Danni was an idiot. "Can you imagine them? Standing to attention, at his beck and call? He'll love it."

Danni shook her head. "No, no, he won't. He'll hate it, you can't possibly think otherwise! Plus…" She looked around, her mind racing as the urge to run flared again. Cybermen were, by far, the worst of the worst in the universe. She knew the Doctor was terrified of the Daleks, but Cybermen scared her so much more. The idea of all your emotions being deleted and everything that made you who you were just removed sent shivers down her spine.

"Plus!" she cried, eyes lighting up as a flaw in Missy's plan came to mind. "Cybermen can't use dead parts! It won't work."

"Like you said; I'm clever," Missy replied. "I've fixed that little problem." She frowned at her captive. "Aren't you happy, my Pet? I did it for you, after all."

Danni felt sick. Her stomach churned at the thought of all the humans that were going to be punished because of a genius's obsession with her. All those people, who were given the illusion of a wonderful afterlife, were just being held prisoner until such a time Missy needed to get the Doctor away from her.

"That's what that 3W place was for," Danni breathed, looking at Missy with horrid realisation. "Clara's Danny, everything, was just to get me away from the Doctor."

Missy stroked a hand through her soft brown hair, smiling fondly. "Well, you were just such a tricky so and so," she scolded lightly. "I'm glad this works, though. Thank you for the insight." She tightened her grip on Danni's hair, pulling her closer to place a kiss on her hair. "Let me show you the gardens. I think you'll enjoy them."

Danni followed numbly, so lost in her own devastation that she didn't protest at all to the kiss. This was all her fault. How could one bad decision so many centuries ago lead to such horror?

 _~0~0~0~_

It was amazing what people missed going about their daily lives. Something absolutely horrific could be going on just around the corner and yet no one would even notice any sort of disturbance. Danni's many, _many_ years of experience had taught her that humans were particularly bad for this and, as such, she wasn't surprised in the slightest as she and Missy materialised on a busy street with people walking up and down in, barely paying attention to the strangely dressed woman and her young-looking associate who appeared from nowhere.

"Where are we?" she asked Missy after she settled from the sudden change in scenery, having a look around to see if she could escape, even if she knew no attempt would work. Missy had placed the slaved vortex manipulator on her wrist and she couldn't use it to go anywhere. Apparently escaping once had somehow given Missy the impression she needed to taken any function it may have had away. All it did now was follow hers whenever she programmed it to.

It pissed Danni off to no end.

"London," Missy explained. "Early 2013. You can tell by the rather plain and unflattering clothing trends."

That was something Missy had also started to do. Treat her like an _actual_ companion by giving her history lessons wherever they landed. It didn't matter that most of the trips were to flaunt Danni in some way to the Doctor, she pretended every trip was just a spur of the moment type affair.

Danni hated that as well. She wasn't a bloody companion, she was a bloody captive.

Still, she looked around with a faint hint of interest because she found that it kept Missy off her back. "I thought you didn't like Earth," she commented offhandedly.

"I don't," Missy replied bluntly. "Full of dirty little creatures that are way too obsessed with procreating with each other, or who is procreating with who. And the horrid talent contests." She looked positively queasy at the thought, and Danni had to agree. She used to like them. What had she been thinking?

"Then why are we here?" she asked and Missy grinned at her, taking her hand tightly before placing it in the crook of her elbow. She liked linking arms, like they were walking in a park on a date.

"Because I have a little job for you," Missy told her like it was some kind of treat. "You see that little corner shop just over there? Like something out of an old television show with wives doing the laundry and being talked down to?" Danni nodded. "Well, last night, I went in and planted a whole _load_ of explosives."

"What?" Danni exclaimed, falling to a stop and staring at her, appalled. "Why the hell would you care about some tiny little shop?"

"Oh, I don't," she replied. "I care about what's inside. Or, rather, what is about to be inside. Watch."

They came to a stop and stared as a woman with a buggy and a screaming toddler left. She struggled to hold the door open, but she managed to get out with only a little difficulty. Then nothing happened for a few long moments. Danni was about to ask what was supposed to be happening when she saw her.

Clara Oswald.

Missy liked the flaunt Danni. She liked to run all over the Doctor's timeline and show her off, making sure that he just missed her, or didn't even notice her at all. Part of it was so the Doctor would know just how close he came to finding his wife and failing, part of it was to just show Danni that he didn't care enough to see her. Most of the time it didn't work, but it was hard not to take the knocks as they came.

She very rarely took her to Clara, though. In fact, over the years, Danni couldn't think of one time that she'd been to Clara when she was obviously on her own.

Every single sighting was exactly the same, though. Whenever she saw someone she loved it felt like all the air was whacked out of her. The happiness, the relief, was overwhelming to such a degree she was always freeze on the spot. Clara looked so happy. Her hair was longer than she remembered it, though.

"Miss Oswald, I believe," Missy drawled. Danni took a step forward then remembered the band on her arm. Missy wouldn't let her get far, even if she had plenty of witnesses. "Oh, don't bother going after her, she doesn't know who you are. You see, this is the Clara Oswald before you and your silly ex-husband decided to drop in on her life."

Danni's drew her feet back together again. "Why bring me here, then?" she asked. "I could just run right in and tell Clara to remember this moment. The Doctor would be here in a shot."

"You could," Missy agreed. "But you won't. In fact, if you even begin to tell her anything, I'll blow the shop up with her and everyone else in it. One big 'boom'-" she put extra emphasis on the noise- "and no more best friend."

"So, what? We're just going to stand here and watch her come out with her bread and milk?"

"Oh no, dear, that would be dull wouldn't it?" Missy chuckled. "No, I want you to give her this."

She handed Danni a card, with a number she immediately recognised on it. Her hearts skipped a beat. "This is for the TARDIS," she breathed. Her eyes shot up from it and to Missy. "Why are you giving me this?"

"Because you're going to give it to her," she said. "You're going to go in, listen to her prattle along about her problems and her other silly little human habits, then offer her the number. Then you're going to leave."

"And not say anything?" Danni retorted incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am," Missy replied as she started walking forward towards the door again. "I can hear everything, and the moment you say _anything_ naughty, I'll blow you all up."

"No you won't. You wouldn't blow me up."

"Never say never, dear." Missy placed a hand over hers. "You know, as my pet, I can really just do whatever I like to you. And, well, the Doctor finding little pieces of you all over the walls would be quite the treat, now I think about it..."

"Fine, fine," Danni grumbled, cutting her off before she could rant and rave about her demise. "Go in, give Clara the number, and leave, right?"

"That's it, my Pet," Missy praised. "And I'll be right here waiting for you. Don't dawdle."

She practically shoved Danni forward and Danni slowly headed towards the door to the shop, apprehensively looking around to see what else Missy may have put into place. The moment she stepped into the store she looked upwards and saw the few security cameras pointing straight at the doorway. She took a few more steps forward and watched the cameras follow her.

Oh, great. She actually _was_ being watched. Excellent.

She made her way to the front of the shop where the till was and starting hanging around, pretending to be looking rather intently through all the sweets. Clara was somewhere in the shop, getting whatever groceries she was looking for, and every part of her was screaming to go find her best friend and introduce herself early. Missy might have been bluffing, after all. Would she really blow them all up after going through the effort of taking her from the Doctor and then keeping her captive for so long?

She probably would. Missy was rather unpredictable like that and Danni really didn't want to punish Clara for her own mistake. She glanced over at her friend, smiling slightly at just how young she was. The girl who would save both Time Lords from being erased from time, only to chuck Danni into a volcano. Well, Danni couldn't exactly fault her for that. She'd do a lot worse if something truly terrible happened to the Doctor.

"You alright, Clara love?" the woman behind the counter greeted as Clara put her milk and frozen chips down in front of her.

"Not too bad, Gretchen," Clara replied. Always so friendly. "How's Fred and Haley?"

"Oh, as rotten as always," Gretchen replied. "Last night Fred taped Haley to one of our dining room chairs with duct tape. Took forty-five minutes to get her free. I told their mother that if it happened again, she can take them to Magaluf with her."

"Yikes," Clara said. "What to Maggie say to that?"

"I can't repeat it, I'm at work," Gretchen told her and they both laughed. "How are Artie and Angie?"

"Very well, thanks," Clara replied. "Artie's really into chess at the moment. Wish I knew how to play it for him."

"I'm sure they just appreciate you being there," Gretchen replied kindly and Clara nodded.

"I like to think so. Although," she pulled out a note from her purse as she realised Gretchen had finished ringing up her stuff, "will they help me sort out my computer?"

"Of course not," Gretchen answered for her.

"And I'm bloody useless with them as well," Clara continued. "I've lost the internet."

"Oh, don't look at me, love," Gretchen told her. "I'm still learning these new bloody tills."

Danni sighed. This was it. Her moment to step forward and introduce herself to Clara like she'd never seen her before in her life. This just felt like another level of cruel on Missy's behalf.

"Sorry," she apologised, stepping forward towards the two women. "I don't mean to be eavesdropping, but did you say you had computer trouble?"

Clara turned to look at her, with that look on her face that said she really didn't particularly want to talk to the new person. But then she seemed to perk up slightly, her eyes looking Danni up and down.

"I've lost the internet. I'm not sure where it went," she explained.

"I had the same trouble," Danni lied effortlessly. Clara had always been so friendly to her, she wasn't surprised that even when she had no idea who she was, Clara was still so welcoming. "Tried ringing BT to help fix the problem? They're a bloody nightmare. I was on the phone for an hour for them to tell me nothing was wrong."

Clara nodded eagerly in agreement. "They did the same with me! Told me I'd have to pay for a technician to come out. It's their internet, I shouldn't have to pay for them to find it."

"Well, here, use this," she handed Clara the card. "My friend gave it to me, and let me tell you; this is the _best_ helpline in the universe."

"Really?" Clara looked at the little card. "Who is it? PC World?"

"Definitely not," Danni replied with a wrinkling of her nose. "I think it's just some local guy. It's not a free phone number or anything, but it's worth it. They fixed my computer in like, 5 minutes."

"Well, thanks." Clara smiled at her. "I'm Clara, by the way."

Danni's eyes quickly drifted up to the security camera behind the counter. It was pointing straight at them and she had no doubt that Missy was listening it. In fact, if she didn't hurry, she was probably going to be punished for taking too long. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"I'm Ella," she replied, pulling a name from Jack's past. "Call them."

She turned and started heading out, listening to Clara promise that she would. Danni knew she'd keep that promise, and somewhere in the past Eleven and her second body would be waiting to meet their newest best friend.

Each step was agony. She had to keep her hands clenched together as she slowly walked out of the shop and towards the woman who was keeping her captive. Running wasn't an option, not without the ability to remove the electric shackle that was bound around her wrist. The vortex manipulator would be easier to get rid of, but it wasn't like she could use it to shoot herself some place else. The moment Missy realised she was about to try and escape she was going to be a mess of screams and pain on the floor. Then she'd be taken back to the bedroom and punished even more.

But she wanted to turn around and scream at Clara to tell the Doctor where she was. To beg for her help to get away from the monster that was never going to let her go. Missy flaunted her all over the Doctor's timeline, but she _never_ let her interact with anyone. Talking to Clara had been such a relief, but such a burden. She just wanted her friend back.

She would die for Clara. But she wouldn't have Clara die for her. It wasn't a step she was willing to take.

Missy was smiling at her like a parent who'd just watched their child successfully use the potty, even though it was the easiest task they could ever think of someone doing. It was a mixture between 'well done' and 'that took you long enough'.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Missy asked. "She didn't even know who you were."

"No, she didn't," Danni murmured back, glancing at the shop again before Missy took them both back to their home.

Clara, inside the shop, turned to Gretchen. "Do you know who she was?" she asked as she picked up her bag of stuff.

"Sorry, love," Gretchen replied apologetically. "Never seen her before in my life."

Clara thanked her anyway and quickly headed out, hoping to catch her up again. Unfortunately there was no sign of her and Clara let out a sigh of defeat before setting off on her way. She could never hold onto the pretty ones.

 _~0~0~0~_

It was dark.

Not the overwhelming darkness that came from being trapped underground, or having a blindfold placed on you – which Danni had quite a lot of experience in – but the darkness that implied it was still night but the daylight was starting to break through. Danni could see a light bluish light coming through two circle-shaped holes directly in front of her face.

Unfortunately, everything else suggested she was very much trapped where she had woken. She was sitting up in a very enclosed space. She raised her arms only factionally and was met with metal all the way around. Whatever she was trapped in, it was shaped to her body. She was in a metal body suit.

Her hearts starting racing and her breathing began to pick up as the sudden realisation that she was trapped settled on her like a heavy, hot blanket. She couldn't get out, she didn't even know where she was! All she knew was that she was slowly going to suffocate in there.

She started struggling, but she could barely moved. She quickly started crying. "Help!" she sobbed. "Somebody! Help me!"

" _Oh, Danielle, do calm down,"_ Missy's voice came from speakers by each of her ears. Danni jolted and turned to look, even though she knew that nothing of use was there.

"Missy, Missy please, let me out," she begged. "I-I'm sorry if-if I upset you, or something, but _please_ let me out. I- I can't breathe."

" _Danielle, calm down,"_ she snapped and Danni did her best to bring her gasping breaths under control. " _Look straight ahead."_

Danni did just that, peering through the small holes in front of her. She could barely focus and had to lean forward as much as she could but outside the case she was trapped in was a window of some sort. And on the other side of the window stood Missy, her favourite little gadget it hand. She held it up to her mouth like she was speaking into a microphone.

"What- What's going on?" Danni whimpered. "Missy, please, this isn't funny."

" _Oh, I don't know, it seems like a delight to me,"_ Missy replied. " _I just need you to stay there for a little while, and I know how you are with all of that moving, so I placed you in a suit to keep you safe."_

"A suit?" Danni asked nervously. She watched through the glass as Missy moved her device, pressing something on it. She disappeared and Danni gasped at the image of a Cyberman strapped to her chair that appeared on the screen. "Missy! Missy! What the hell is going on? Let me out!"

" _Don't worry, it's not live,"_ Missy said as if it would reassure her. _"It can't be. You're the one inside it."_

Danni started shaking her head. Well, as best as she could within the helmet that didn't move. _"_ No, no, Missy let me out. Let me out!" she screamed, her panic flaring again. "I don't want to be a Cyberman! Please!"

" _I said calm down,_ " Missy snapped. " _No one can see you from this side, all they have is the view of an empty chair in a case of water. I'm the only one who knows you're there so you're just wasting energy screaming._ "

Danni couldn't help it. Her whole body shook as the case seemed to get hotter and closer to her skin. "Missy, please," she begged again. "Just let me out. I'm sure I can- I can make up whatever I did wrong."

" _No_ ," Missy replied shortly. " _Stop it. Begging is not pretty on you, is it?"_

The cold sweat was building on Danni's skin. Her chest was tightening as the small space got smaller and smaller. "Koschei, please," she pleaded pathetically. "Let me out. Please. I don't want to be a Cyberman. Please."

" _I'll be back soon,_ " Missy promised her and Danni let out a sob. " _Just keep watching. You'll see soon enough._ "

Danni struggled vainly as she watched Missy look into the glass to fix her hair before walking on. "Missy! _Missy!"_ she screamed after her but it was obvious that Missy wasn't going to turn back.

Danni took a few shaky breaths to try and calm herself. The errant thought of the lack of oxygen made her immediately regret that, though. There were holes in front of her so air could get in easily, but that didn't ease the blind panic her mind went into at the thought of suffocating. The Doctor would never know what happened to her. She wasn't ever going to get home. She was going to die there.

Something inside her snapped and she realised that she needed to escape, and quickly as well. She tried to move her arms again, but the metal suit was much too heavy and Danni couldn't get any movement at all from it. So she tried to pull her hands towards her chest. She struggled, scrapping her arm along the tight seams but she got one arm free and into the torso of the suit. She didn't even try to get the other one out, her fingers just searched for any sort of seam or opening she could find in an attempt to open it up.

Nothing moved. All she felt was her fingertips ripping open, little jagged edges cutting her skin and making her bleed. The suit continued to close in on her and all she wanted to do was rip the metal apart and get out, but she couldn't. She fought her other arm free, but again it did nothing except hurt her and prove how trapped she was inside.

She fell against the back, gulping for air and trying to stop her hands from shaking from the pain. Some of the cuts were pretty deep, but she knew they'd heal eventually. She just wanted to get free. The air hung limp around her, clinging to her skin tightly like it would never let her go. The suit itself wasn't too bad, after all Cybermen weren't exactly small. It was the air around her that was crushing it. She needed breeze, she needed movement. She needed to be out of there.

She wasn't sure how long she was struggling for, but she had to take a break. She was covered in a sheen of cold sweat that she couldn't wipe away and she stared out of the eyes of the suit in the hopes of seeing _something_ that could help her.

Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw.

Her mouth fell slightly as the Doctor stormed past her vision, a look of thunder on his face. Her husband. Her Theta. He was _right there_.

"Theta!" she screamed as loud as she could, her voice breaking harshly. " _Theta, I'm here! I'm..._ "

She trailed off as she watched Clara appear and look directly at her without seeing her. She looked broken, devastated, as she didn't notice the fact that Danni was right in front of her in a Cyberman suit.

"Clara! I'm here! Look at me!" she shrieked but there was no reaction.

Then, Danni approached her best friend. A younger, blonde-haired, kind looking Danni with glasses and a sympathetic smile for a grieving Clara and whatever air Danni had in her lungs was forced out. Clara wasn't hurt because they couldn't find her, she was hurt because Danny Pink was dead. The Doctor wasn't furiously looking for her, he was furious because he perceived Clara of trying to hurt his wife.

This was 3W.

She was about to watch herself get taken.

"Theta!" she screamed again, before realising it wasn't helping. She tried to open her mind and call to him, but when she did she felt nothing. There was no one there. The Doctor couldn't hear her.

She winced as the speakers in the helmet screeched to life. " _3W. Death is not an end,"_ Missy's voice floated in, sounding soft and kind. " _But we can we help with that."_

And Danni had to sit there and watch Missy push her old body against a glass case and kiss her. She had to watch her husband and best friend walk away without a look back. She had to watch as her old body watched them walk away with a sad look on her face. And she had to watch as Missy approached her from behind, stab something into her neck and the old Danni crumpled into her arms.

Missy looked into the case, smirked, and carried blonde Danni away.

Danni stopped struggling. She stopped fighting, she stopped caring. She had always assumed that the Doctor had fought to keep her. That Missy managed to get a hold of her despite his best efforts, but he didn't even seem to notice that she had gone. Maybe he didn't even care that she was gone. Maybe he really wasn't looking for her. How could he just not notice?

She sat there in silence until, suddenly, the helmet was suddenly removed and she started, startled and frightened and devastated. Missy was stood next to her and she stroked her hair as Danni whimpered.

"You see, Danni," Missy started softly in a voice that was supposed to comfort her. "He didn't even notice you were gone. You were always supposed to be mine."

Danni just looked down, closing her eyes and she didn't say a word. Missy opened the suit and helped her out, tutting at the blood that covered her hands and revelling in her defeat. She'd finally crushed the spirit that kept her fighting for freedom. She was finally her pet.

But through Danni's silence one word echoed throughout her head.

 _Never_.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Sorry I'm late again. You should all be used to it by now :P_

 _I'm going to be posting an Outtake tomorrow. It comes with a trigger warning, but keep an eye out for it so you can judge for yourself if you want to read it :)_

 _Reviews :)_

 _ **Midnight** **Alley** \- Thanks sweetie! Hopefully soon._

 _ **Authora97** \- I know! He needs to do something, doesn't he?_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Something to come back on, definitely. She might have been there for centuries, she might not of. We may never know :P Thanks sweetie! xxx_

 _ **sandshoes-and-grandad** \- Sorry for making you cry, sweetie! I hope this chapter wasn't too bad XD_

 _ **KateMackenzie** \- Thanks sweetie! Hope you liked this one too :)_

 _ **Serena** \- Thanks sweetie! Right now, Danni is unsure of how long she's been with Missy so I can't really say XD_

 _ **LoveandAngst** \- Thanks sweetie! I did want it to be unclear of whether she was real or not until right at the end, so I'm glad it worked :)_

 _ **bored411** \- Hopefully he won't give up. Danni needs him to save her! Hope you liked this chapter :)_


	7. Always Searching

Clara took a quick look into through the window in the door, checking to see if the teacher's room was empty before she opened the door. She quickly slipped in, shutting it quietly behind her just in case it alerted people to her whereabouts.

She sighed in relief, leaning against the door and closing her eyes as she finally was able to relax. She hadn't been back at work long, but she was already wishing she'd taken the offered time off and stayed away for a bit longer.

People were just being so… _nice_ to her. She was getting lots of condolences, and people asking her how she was doing, and about her new apartment. They were taking an interest in her life, even staff who she'd barely said a word to before, all with the same _pissing_ look of pity on their faces and it was driving her crazy. Every little soft smile and nod just said ' _aww, look at the girl with the dead boyfriend_ ' and… _argh_ she wanted to rip those smiles off their damned faces!

She took a deep breath and pushed off, walking over to the coffee machine for yet another cup of lukewarm, cheap tasting coffee. Her forth that day, which was more than she cared to drink of the brown mud they stocked the staffroom with. They were just being nice. It came from a kind place in their hearts, but all she wanted was for them to let her get on with things. All she wanted to do was go to work, teach her classes, mark their homework and go home again.

 _That_ was something else. The kids. She never thought she'd get to the point where she wished a fight would break out in her class, but she would cheer if it did. She'd heard the whispers when Danny was alive about them guessing over their relationship, now it was all sideways looks to any disobedient student with a hiss of ' _stop it, you idiot. Her boyfriend died_ '.

What was it with the way the human race seemed to want to remind her that her boyfriend died? Why did they want to remind her that she was all alone, that the man she loved wasn't even buried somewhere she could visit him? That she had the rest of her life to wander around, wondering what she would be doing if he was there instead of dead? Why did they have to keep bringing up that pain?

She took a sip of her drink and grimaced. Perhaps she should start to bring her own coffee in. Even instant would be better than this garbage.

She walked over to the small metal sink and poured the drink away. She guessed nothing was going to go right for her for a long time. She was never going to go back to normal, but hopefully soon everything would settle down and she'd find a new normal to settle into. She'd be a teacher by day, a time traveller at night and… well, maybe she'd be a time traveller on the weekends as well. She didn't exactly have a reason to stay behind now, did she?

Speaking of…

She pulled out her phone from her pocket and, with a quick couple of taps on the screen, she raised to her ear. It rang, and it rang, and it rang, until a gruff Scottish voice told her not to bother to leave a message because he was never going to listen to it anyway.

"Doctor, where are you?" she snapped, walking to the window to look out onto the world below. Everything looked so grey on Earth these days. "Seriously, you've got to ring me back. I know you don't like to talk to me anymore, but I'm going to help whether you want me to or not. Have you found her yet? If this is you two just getting back together again let me know..." Her eyes widened slightly. "I mean, don't tell me the details. I don't need to know the details. Just… Get Danni to call me, she'll understand more than you do."

She let the vertical blinds fall back into the place again and she turned, leaning against the wall as she looked out into the staffroom. "Just call me back, yeah?" she asked. "It's been almost a month since you dropped me off for that 'rest'. I've come back to work, that's how long I've been waiting. Just… Just call me back. And if you don't, I'm going to ring you again so you're not going to get away from me forever, got it?" She paused for a moment, as if she suddenly expected someone to answer her. She then hung up, but didn't move from her spot against the wall.

"Where are you, Doctor?" she whispered to herself, spinning the phone in her hand absent-mindedly. She knew that they weren't on the best terms, but she also knew that if he was still looking for Danni then he would have come back for her help. Like he said; she would never give up.

She hated to think of Danni trapped somewhere with Missy looming over her. Danni was so kind, and Missy was obviously insane, that she just knew that whatever was happening would be horrible for her. From what she heard from the Doctor and Martha about the Master, she knew that the Time Lady wouldn't pull any punches with Danni and she just wanted to get her best friend safe. She hoped, though, that this strange obsession with her would mean Missy wouldn't hurt her too much.

But then, if he wasn't searching for Danni anymore, did that mean he'd found her? And if he had, then why hadn't Danni gotten into contact to let Clara know she was okay? Danni hadn't been mad at her like the Doctor had been for her stupid stunt, but maybe that had changed. It just didn't seem very… well, _Danni_ to suddenly decide she was angry. She'd either just be angry, or not.

Then, what was happening? And where was he?

 _~0~0~0~_

"Mum, where is she?" Tony moaned for the 100th time that day. He was pressed up against the window, looking out onto the street as if he was trying push himself through the glass.

"She'll be here," Rory reassured him when his wife stood up and stormed out of the living room. He walked over to his son, ruffling his hand through her hair. "You know she loves you, and she's the one who is always on time."

"But it's my birthday _now_ and she's not here," Tony pointed out.

"It's only 10. She'll be here," Rory replied, his tone a little short because they had been over it every five minutes since Tony had woken up. "You have to give her a chance."

He left his son to continue to stare out of the window and followed Amy into the kitchen, where she was already pacing. It didn't matter that Tony wasn't theirs biologically, he seemed to have gained his mother's impatience. Which was odd, when Rory thought about it, considering how much of her life she had spent waiting.

"Where is he?" Amy hissed the moment Rory shut the door behind him. "He said he was picking us back up again this morning before Tony woke up."

"You know what he's like. He's probably misaimed. It's not like he doesn't have previous," he pointed out. Amy shook her head, pacing away from him then turning around to point at him.

"No, no, not like this," she snapped. "He left Danni _once_ , but he would never just leave us behind when she's in danger. He needs an army and we're part of it."

"Then- Then maybe he found her again?" Rory suggested. "You know what they're like." He pulled a face. "As much as I _really_ don't want to think about that now."

"You never wanted to think about it then," Amy pointed out. "If he'd saved her then they'd be here to celebrate Tony's birthday. You know how big on family Danni is. She wouldn't allow him to drop her off late. She'd want the whole day." She nodded at her own point and Rory knew he'd never be able to convince her of anything else. "Something has happened."

"If something had happened he'd let us know," Rory reasoned anyway. "You know what he's like when it comes to Danni."

"Exactly!" Amy exclaimed before catching herself. She couldn't be too loud because Tony still had no idea that they'd gone anywhere at all. They both wanted to keep it that way, and Brian had been on board as well. "Exactly," she repeated, quieter this time. "He would want us there to find her. I _want_ to be there to find her. He left us behind for Melody, I'm _not_ letting him do it again."

She rummaged in her pocket for her mobile phone and Rory groaned when she pulled it out. "Amy, you know he never answers," he told her. "Calling him is..."

Amy didn't listen, but he didn't exactly expect her to. She was almost shaking in rage when the answer phone picked up her call. "Doctor, where the hell are you?" she hissed. "You were supposed to pick us up hours ago. Don't leave us out of the loop again. She's our granddaughter, we deserve to look for her as well. Pick us up. We can help."

She hung up and Rory watched her anger fall away to worry. He walked over, pulling her in for a hug that she obviously needed as she returned it. "She'll be okay," he promised her softly. "She's strong, he's determined, and she's _your_ granddaughter. Nothing is going to stop him saving her and she's not going anywhere until he does."

"You know what she was like about the Master, though," Amy reminded him sadly. "We couldn't even mention him. Even the Doctor is terrified about what Missy could be doing to her."

Rory looked his wife in the eyes, making sure to seem as sure and reassuring as he could, despite his own panic. "She is going to be fine," he promised her again. "The Doctor will get back to us, we'll see her again. He's not going to stop until he saves her."

Amy took a deep breath then nodded. "You're right, you're right," she admitted. "I hate this."

"So do I," he agreed. "Now, your son is trying to escape through the window. We may want to make him breakfast."

She chuckled. "Alright, bacon and eggs, yeah?"

"I offered him pancakes but he said that he only wanted them when Danni came," Rory explained. "I'm a bit worried about how much he likes her. Last time I knew someone that obsessed with a Time Lord she ran away with him the night before our wedding."

Amy shot him a look that had him holding his hands up and backing slowly out of the room. "Alright, alright, I'll just… go keep Tony company."

Rory dashed out and Amy shook her head fondly. Her Rory really was so kind, but sometimes so _stupid._

She walked over to the stove, turning it on and started setting up so she could start cooking. She paused, though, looking out of the window as the worry settled on her again. "Where are you, Doctor?" she whispered.

 _~0~0~0~_

"I'm just saying; it's all his fault."

"Placing blame on anyone but the Master… _Missy_ is pointless," Jack corrected River yet again with a heavy sigh. "He's trying to find her, and as much as it pains me to admit it, he's the best person for the job."

"Not true," River retorted. "He can barely aim straight. Even _if_ he manages to find out where she is you _know_ he'll just be too late."

"Not this body," Jack replied. He stood up, though, heading towards his computer. "Bowtie could have lost her for centuries, but this Doctor actually seems to have his finger on the pulse for once."

River snorted. "You're putting too much faith in that man," she told him. "He doesn't know what he is doing, otherwise we wouldn't be sat here waiting for him."

"Maybe he's on his way," Jack suggested lightly as he quickly logged onto his emails. He had a few hundred contacts who really could help right about now. "Maybe she's already with him."

"If she was with him, she'd have come back to see me," River retorted. "I'm her mother. She'd not leave me here waiting."

He paused in his typing. "Or me?" he prompted and she rolled her eyes, waving him off.

"Yes, yes, and you as well," she told him. "Look, are you coming or not?"

"Of course I am," Jack replied. "Let me just shoot off this email and we can get going."

"No one is going to be able to help," she said. She was just getting so impatient already, she wasn't sure why she had come back for him. She never really liked acknowledging that he had a part of her Danni-Girl, but he did and she had to begrudgingly admit that he also would be quite a good asset while searching for her daughter. "I don't even know why you let him drop you off back here."

"I told you," he replied, trying to hold onto his patience. She never liked to make it easy. "He told me he had heard something. By the time I had checked the lead he'd given me and found it was a pile of crap, he'd disappeared."

"Hence the reason I don't think he knows where she is," River reasoned. "He wanted an army to find her, and yet he's dropped everyone else off where he'd found them. If he'd found her then he'd want the same army to save her."

Jack hit the send button, hoping that something might come from one of the emails. "I know," he admitted reluctantly. "We just need to find where he is and we can get an answer from him. He can't have disappeared completely." He walked over and River held her arm out for him to take. The smirk on her face annoyed him, but he kept it to himself. She was right. Something was seriously up and he wasn't about to let the Doctor get away with it. His daughter's safety was at stake, and he may not have known her to be his daughter for long, but he wasn't about to lose Danni now.

"Do you have a starting point?" he asked her and she nodded. "Alright, sweetheart, let's go."

"I'm not your sweetheart," River told him bluntly. "That's how we got into this mess in the first place." With a push of a button, they were gone.

 _~0~0~0~_

The conservatory door opened and Vastra looked up, hand reaching out ready to grab her veil should she need it. Both Jenny and Strax were excellent at keeping people out until she was ready, but sometimes it wasn't always possible and she had to be on guard just in case.

Luckily she was able to relax as just her constant companion and beautiful wife, Jenny, entered with a tray of tea for her enjoyment. She could never quite stop herself falling into a maid role, but their relationship was so much more complex than that. Vastra took a moment to watch her wife pour the warm liquid into two small cups, enjoying the silence and the sight.

"A Mr Johnson just knocked," Jenny told her once she took her own seat with her own drink. "'is business partner has run off with quite a lot of 'is money. Wanted to know if you'd take the case."

"I assume you sent him on his way?" Vastra guessed as she picked her own cup up. She enjoyed the feel of the drink more than she enjoyed the taste, but then again she was usually attracted to heat.

"Just like you said to," Jenny confirmed. "Will we be waiting much longer? Strax has started to clean all of his guns again. Blew the door right off the sitting room."

Vastra sighed. "I do wish he'd be more careful indoors. We have a yard sufficiently big enough for him to discharge whatever firearm he wishes to."

"'e's bored," Jenny commented. "And a little annoyed that the Doctor 'took him out of battle prematurely'. I told 'im that the most action the Doctor would let him see would be when Danni needed checking over when 'e saved her."

Vastra let out a little chuckle. "Well, he does work so well with that little nurses bag of his," she commented and they both smiled at the thought of the third member of their household. Neither of them would be without him, but considering that Vastra was a lizard lady from the dawn of time and Jenny wasn't in the most accepted of relationships, he really was the strange one.

"When is the Doctor coming back?" Jenny asked. "I thought we'd've 'eard from 'im by now."

"You know what he is like," Vastra replied. "He is unsure of where Danielle currently is, and he never is happy when he is wrong in company. He'll be back once he has located her and they can leave the bedroom long enough for a short trip."

"If you say so," Jenny replied before taking a sip of her drink. "It just seems a bit odd, doesn't it? 'e had us running around for months and then suddenly we're back 'ome? I thought he wanted an army."

"Then he decided he didn't. He changes his mind more than the weather changes. You know what he's like, dear."

"Yeah, you're right," Jenny said with a little nod. She moved onto a different topic and Vastra made the effort to nod in the right places while answering questions and making appropriate comments. Her mind, however, was elsewhere in the cosmos. Her words had reassured her wife about Danni's fate, but they did little to give Vastra comfort. She knew that the Doctor would never stop looking, but his disappearance was worrying to say the least. She didn't have much options in contacting anyone within the Doctor's inner circle, but she had sent messages that she hoped would reach his friends and they could converse easier.

She knew that the Doctor would never drop off his army without good reason, and he knew Danielle was much too kind to leave their friends hanging on the outcome. She was worried that something terrible had happened to the Time Lord, because his behaviour pointed to nothing else.

But she kept on her pleasant smile as to not upset her darling wife, and when Strax came in demanding more battle she scolded him with the exasperation she always held, one that was really full of fondness. She didn't need them to worry, after all.

But where was the Doctor?

 _~0~0~0~_

"Dad, answer the phone!"

Jenny ducked as something not so nice hit the wall above her head. She had dodged it with ease, but it was still rather annoying. She kept the phone to her ear as she dodged yet another bolt and headed down the hallway. It wasn't much of a hassle, in fact it was rather fun and one thing life had shown Jenny was that running was _awesome_.

"This is getting ridiculous! You dropped us off weeks ago, and I've been looking without you but we're both kinda out of leads and we could _really_ use your help right now. Clara says you don't listen to the answerphone, but I think you do."

There was another explosion somewhere behind her and it made her jump enough to look behind her. There was shouting from the people looking for her and she couldn't help but grin. It was so much fun when she had to get away from people who thought they could get her.

"I hope you get this, because I've found something that might actually be helpful." She quickly checked the backpack she was wearing by reaching back and patting it. There was no give, which meant the book was still there. "There was this planet, Harrinet, that I visited years ago. There was this strange woman who told me about the Time Child, and how she going to visit the planet. So I searched and I think I found her. It was a few hundred years ago, though, but I have a book..." A bolt flew past her head but she could see her exit at the end of the hall. She just had to make it through the door. She started sprinting.

"The book has the details, but it's in something I can't read. We're going to translate it, though. Call me back, Dad."

She had to dodge a few more bolts from the lasers, but she made it into the doorway of her small craft and she nodded at her companion. A moment later and she was strapping herself into her seat as he flew them away.

"I'm worried about Mum too," she continued down the phone. "Let us help. We can find her together. Call me back, Dad, and tell me where you are."

She hung up and turned to her new friend, a grin on his face as he flew the ship with ease. "He'll call back," she told him confidently. "He wouldn't leave Mum to fend for herself."

"If you say so," Perkins replied. "I'm sure he'll get back to us when he's ready, Ma'am. Did you get the book?"

"I did," she said as he levelled them off safely away from the library she'd stolen from. She unbuckled herself again and pulled out the book. "I can't read it. Think you can give it a shot?"

She opened at a random page and he took a quick glance. "I will definitely give it my best, Ma'am," he replied modestly. "But I can tell you right now _that_ ," he pointed at a couple of symbols she thought looked like little houses, "says _Time Child_."

"Good. Let's swap. I'll fly and keep trying Dad, and you translate."

"Yes, Ma'am," Perkins agreed and they quickly swapped seats. "If I didn't know any better, I would say your father would be rather impressed. But then again, nothing really impresses him does it?"

Jenny chuckled. "That's only this face," she explained. "When I was created, he was _much_ more expressive. And Mum was strange, but there was two of her..."

 _~0~0~0~_

Karn was very dark. It always seemed to be. The Doctor thought it might have something to do with the distance from its nearest star, or the atmosphere, or something similar, but he didn't want to think too much about it. He didn't want to think too much about anything. He just found himself a corner to hide in, and he hid.

Of course, he was never allowed to hide for long. The universe never allowed him time to rest, or to run away from his problems.

Ohila was one of his problems. No matter how many times he encountered her, she always seemed to want to be a problem. Didn't she knew he had enough on his plate? Didn't she appreciate just how _tired_ he was?

"He has asked to see you," she told him, getting straight to the point. They both knew who she was talking about. "His servants seek you everywhere. Will you go?"

"No," he replied shortly and firmly, with no room for argument.

"Why do you always lie?" she argued.

"Why do you always assume I'm lying?" he shot back in exasperation. If no one questioned him then there was no-one to answer to but himself. He could handle his own hatred. He'd been dealing with it for long enough.

"It saves time," she replied simply. "The truth – will you go?"

"No," the Doctor repeated. His tone said that he very much wanted to be left alone.

"When?"

She wasn't going to let it go, and he found it very easy to answer to her. "Soon."

She paused, letting his answer sink in. "Why?"

He looked up from where he was worrying his hand with a snarky comment on his tongue. She looked down at him expectantly, ready to not accept any of his nonsense. "Because she would have gone," he explained. "Because it's polite, and she was always too polite."

Her face relaxed just slightly, a flash of sympathy that he hated seeing skirting across her face. "Did something happen?"

"No," he quickly replied. Too quickly, he immediately realised.

"Was it recent?"

He opened his mouth to deny everything, but even he could see it would be pointless. He deflated slightly. "Yes."

"Whatever it was, you owe that creature nothing."

"He and I've known each other a long time," he offered as an excuse. An excuse she didn't believe in the slightest.

"You've been enemies for all of it," she pointed.

"An enemy's just a friend you don't really know yet," he shot back before rolling his eyes. "Sorry. What, was that me being cynical again?" he snapped.

She leant in a little closer. "Aren't we friends, Doctor?" she asked in a softer voice. He was in pain, and he lashed out. It was understandable and oh, so sad.

"That's different. I don't like you!" he countered.

She chuckled lightly. "Which means you can trust me," she finished for him. "Your search is not over."

He turned away, his shoulders dropping and every ounce of his defiance leaving him. "I can't search anymore," he admitted softly. "There is nowhere to look. I lost."

"You're giving up?" she accused and his head snapped back. His eyes flashed angrily and she knew she hit the crux of the matter.

"I'm not giving up," he snapped indignantly. "I _failed_. She won. That's all there is to it." There was silence for a moment as he stewed and she waited patiently for his next move.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large, golden disk with Gallifreyan carved into it. Ohila took in a short, sharp breath as he handed it over. "You know who to give that to?" he asked her lowly.

"She won't deliver it," she replied and he shook his head.

"No, she will," he said certainly. It took him a moment to let go of the confession dial, but he stood up with the air of a man who was carrying the entire universe's guilt on his shoulders. "I won't go straight away." He walked away from her and into the dark, rocky landscape. He felt like he was in an abandoned quarry, but it made a wonderful place to hide. "I'll hang out for a bit. Probably meditate on a rock somewhere. Get myself ready."

She turned, watching him walk away with her own anger building up. "You are embarking on an enterprise that will end in your destruction," she accused.

"You could say that about being born," he countered easily.

"Wherever you go, there are people who care enough to find you," she promised him. He shrugged.

"There is only one person in the universe I want to care about me and we'll never find each other again," he reminded her and himself. His whole world, his whole _universe_ , and he'd lost it. He'd turned his back and let her down. Even if he did find her before he headed to his doom, what good would it do? Everytime she looked at him she'd see it. She'd see how he'd been too arrogant and selfish and she'd paid the price. He'd destroyed them both.

"Look after the universe for me," he told Ohila with an air of finality. "I've put a lot of work into it."

She turned to watch him walk away to his TARDIS, already unable to stand being on the planet a moment longer. "Anyone can hide from an enemy, Doctor. No one from a friend. And you?" He paused in his step. "Never from the Time Child."

His hearts broke to hear her nickname, knowing that she was forever doomed due to his negligence, then he headed on his way. He had a meeting to get to. Soon.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Well, how many of you expected that? :P_

 _There's a new Outtake up, which comes with a trigger warning, but check it out for yourselves :)_

 _Reviews XD_

 _ **Toody2013** \- Ooo, that's so annoying, isn't it? Hope you enjoyed this one :D_

 _ **Midnight** **Alley** \- I know, right?! She's awfully evil, I love it XD_

 _ **Guest** \- Thanks sweetie!_

 _ **Serena** \- That's exactly what I was going for, so I'm glad it came across that way! Thanks sweetie!_

 _ **Jojo** \- I'm glad you liked it, sweetie! I just thought it would be funny, because Clara always seems like a flirty person to me, why would that change? XD_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Ah, can't tell you how long. That would be cheating! I'm sure Clara will kinda remember her but not, because I don't think she really recalls 'the woman in the shop' too much XD Thanks sweetie!_

 _ **Quinnmarie** \- Danni's stronger than people seem to give her credit for. I'm sure that she'll push through whatever Missy can throw at her XD_

 _ **silverhawk88** \- Exactly! She'll come out of the other end, that's our Danni-Girl!_


	8. The Missing Man of the Hour

The chapel was peaceful, and quiet, with just enough sunlight coming in through the arched window to make the candles surrounding him absolutely pointless. Still, the Doctor kept them there, their flickering giving him a strange sense of comfort. They reminded him of simpler times. Of a planet in almost constant darkness. Of a town named after a Christian holiday and the woman who had danced with him there.

He squeezed his eyes closed, taking a slow, deep breath. He needed to be calm and his regret would not allow him such a luxury. So, he had to take it himself. He had to force away the despair, the regret and the anger and focus on his breathing. That's what people did when they meditated, wasn't it? Sat in the dark and cleared their minds? They didn't wallow on the past, or on their failures. They didn't think about the people they'd let down, or let get away. They just focused on their breathing.

In and out. _In and out._

The sounds of footsteps echoed to his left and he knew that his new companion – no, not _companion_ companion, but he had no other word for it – had joined him in the still room.

He opened his eyes and looked up at the large, rather hairy man. He really didn't appreciate the beard, but there wasn't anything he could do short of shaving the man himself.

"How many days have I been here?" he asked.

Bors face twisted into one of confusion. "About three hours."

The Doctor's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Three hours?" he repeated, horrified. He thought he'd been doing so well. The time had positively dragged on. How could it possibly only have been three hours?

"Well, nearly," Bors clarified and the Doctor shook his head, looking up at the window. That would have explained why the sun hadn't moved.

"Times doing that thing again," he muttered to himself, outraged, before looking back up at his new friend. "It always does this," he explained. "Goes too slow. It knows it should have been days, but instead it pulls a stunt like this." He turned back to the window. "Someone should get onto that."

He could have laughed at the thought of a Time Lord getting someone else to sort out the passage of time, but he didn't laugh anymore. He had to be calm. He couldn't think about her. He picked up his goblet and took a sip of the water inside. It needed a clean, but he couldn't expect anything more from a 12th century Essex, really.

"What is your journey?" Bors asked and the Doctor winced. He just _had_ to bring it up. Flashes of blonde hair and bright eyes flew through his head. A laughter he'd never hear again.

"You can't come with me, Bors," the Doctor told him yet again.

"I'm pledged to your service. Ever since you saved my life."

"I didn't save your life," the Doctor corrected. "You had a splinter." He was really starting to wish that he hadn't done that, either. He'd been all intent to just walk away from the bumbling idiot screaming about how he was going to die, but then Danni's voice had echoed in his head, telling him to not be so silly; as if he could ever leave someone in pain.

"Where is it you go? And why must you meditate first?" Bors demanded.

He wasn't going to let it go. And, the Doctor had to admit, perhaps talking to him would help elevate his guilt. He had proved to the universe, after all, that he wasn't a good man. Maybe it was a good thing she wasn't there to see it. He had already let her down once, he couldn't do it again.

"Someone I know is very sick," he explained. "He'd want to see me before... While there's still time."

"An old friend?" Bors asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "Someone I've known a very long time," he corrected.

"If there's danger let me ride at your side!" Bors pleaded but the Doctor shot him a stern look, one that told Bors not to argue any further.

"You can't help me. Not where I'm going." They fell into a silence that hung heavily until, finally, he just couldn't help but ask. "Is there any sign of her?"

Bors reluctantly accepted that the Doctor wasn't going to allow him to offer his help. He shook his head. "None, sir Doctor," he said apologetically. "However, we do not know who we are looking for."

"You would, if you saw her," the Doctor replied softly, with a sad smile on his face. If she was coming, if she was here, then there'd be no denying the woman demanding to see him. His beautiful, perfect, lost wife...

He cleared his throat. "I have to think," he said, hating how thick his voice sounded. "No more distractions."

Bors nodded his head once in a bow. "As you wish, Sir Doctor."

As his heavy footsteps headed towards the door, the Doctor picked up his goblet and took another drink of the water. She was never late. She would have been here by now, had she escaped. He'd left the signs, she would come straight to him. There was no use in waiting any longer…

He pulled a face at the taste of the water. It just wouldn't do at all. He scrambled up off the floor. "Hang on a minute!" he called after Bors, who turned back to face him. "The water."

"The water, Sir?" Bors repeated, confused.

"I don't like it," the Doctor told him. "I can't meditate properly, without decent water." He handed the goblet to Bors before heading out of the chapel. "Gather as many people as you can. We need better water."

 _~0~0~0~_

He used to be better at this, he was sure of it. At one point in his life he could have located fresh running water just by walking on the ground it was under. And yet, it had taken him almost two weeks to find the perfect spring this time around. He must have lost it in regeneration. It can't have been to do with his age. Or the fact he was trying to drag the process out as long as possible.

And then there was the visitors centre. He'd had to argue for that one a bit, but all he could imagine were the archaeologists' faces when they dug up information points and a desk. People like River, who would have spent decades examining each little bit of stone, wondering what it means.

People like River. Like Danielle…

"A throne room!" he declared suddenly, ignoring the groans around him.

"We _have_ a throne room," Bors had told him. The Doctor shook his head.

"No, no, I would have seen it."

"You did," Bors replied. "When you first descended on this land, Sir Doctor. I took you there myself."

The Doctor frowned, playing their first meeting in his head from beginning to end. He remembered the man crying like a child over a splinter, then he was taken to the castle where he was taken into a little room. There had been a rather grand man sat on the chair in the middle…

" _That_ was the throne room?" he asked. "That was rubbish. It was _tiny_. We can do better. Fetch me some paper, some ink, and some water."

There was a few more groans around him but the people began to disperse to do his bidding. He didn't know how he felt about them taking orders from him, but they weren't military orders, so it was probably fine. It wasn't like they were an army of Cybermen or anything.

He grabbed Bors arm before he could walk off. "Any sign of her?"

Bors shook his head. "I still do not know who I'm looking for, Sir."

The Doctor deflated, once again feeling his sliver of hope being ripped away. He let go of Bors arm. "You'll know her," he replied. "Go on. We can't dilly dally. I'm a busy man, you know."

 _~0~0~0~_

There was nothing left for him to do. The well was a hit, the throne room a delight. Even the visitor's centre was filling more and more with visitors every day. He'd show them basic gardening for around the castle, and he may have created a few cocktails to make their rather disgusting alcohol taste a bit better. He was running out of ways to delay his time. This had to be his last night.

He quickly climbed the stairs back up to his meditation room. It had been three weeks, now. She wasn't coming. He wasn't going to find her. He had to face the music of what he'd done in pursuit of trying to find his wife, and what he'd done by giving up the search.

"Are you sure?" Bors asked as he followed him up to the small room.

"I've been avoiding it," he explained as he scanned the room. It had been tidied up since the last time he'd stepped in it. He needed it organised perfectly. An organised room, an organised mind. "One last night. Then I have to go."

He rushed around, picking up every candle stick he could before putting them into a circle in the middle of the room. If he sat in the middle, perhaps he could finally focus.

"You wish to be alone?" Bors asked him.

"I have to prepare myself," the Doctor replied.

"Why? You've never explained."

The Doctor faltered slightly. "I did something wrong," he admitted. "I let somebody down, when I should have been brave enough, strong enough, to do better." His thoughts drifted to her again, to his beautiful, happy, and now totally abandoned… He cleared his throat and sat down in his newly formed circle. He had some chalk somewhere in one of his pockets. "Tomorrow I pay the price. Tonight I make myself ready."

As he started to draw points in the circle, again another way to focus his mind, Bors walked over and extended a hand to his new friend. "Good bye, Magician. You've widened my mind."

The Doctor looked up at him for a moment, wondering if he was going to smack some sense into him. He wouldn't have been best pleased if he did, but it might actually work. Alas, he was just offering him a handshake. He slowly stood up off the floor and took his hand, shaking it once.

"You do realize you're still an idiot?" he asked.

Bors, to his credit, didn't seem particularly offended by his rudeness. Instead, he nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." There was a pause before the Doctor moved back, shuffling backwards as he prepared himself for a task he really didn't want to undertake. "I have to be quiet now. Quiet as the grave."

"I do not believe you're capable of silence," Bors replied in a whisper.

"Oh?" the Doctor replied, offended and loud. "Oh, we will see about that, shall we?"

"We shall, Sir Doctor." The Doctor dropped to his knees, scribbling everything that came to mind onto the floor with his trusty chalk. Most of what he wrote didn't have anything to do with his next destination, but he found that getting every little thing out of his head and into writing helped clear it for more important thoughts.

"No more distractions. Total focus," he whispered to himself as Bors gave him one last nod of the head before leaving.

He paused in his scribbling, realising that he had been writing about every single thing he had done since he'd regenerated. Every single adventure he'd been on, all the new people he had met. He'd paused on Robin Hood as the memory appeared of his sword fight on the log over the stream in the woods. It had brought that warm, impressed, happy look onto her face as he'd fought the thief off with a spoon.

A spoon he still had in his pocket.

"Bors!" he cried down the hallway and a moment later the man appeared. "Are you any good with the broadsword?"

"Yes," Bors replied, wondering if the Doctor was finally going to allow him to join him on his quest.

Instead, the Doctor pulled out his spoon. "Fancy a friendly?"

Bors sighed, now at his wits end with the man in front of him. "Enough, Magician!" he exclaimed. "I do not believe, that you will meditate. It's not in your nature. If this is to be your last night here, then we shall celebrate. There shall be revels!" The Doctor seemed surprised, which is what Bors expected. "But first..."

The Doctor's brows furrowed. "First?"

"Tell me your story," Bors requested. "Tell me, how you came to this place and why now you're compelled to leave it." He straightened, making sure the Doctor knew that he was not going to sway in his resolve. "I will not depart this room until you do so."

The Doctor stood up, ready to protest but found he just couldn't. He was just so _tired_ of fighting that he nodded. "I suppose, I do owe you."

"I've served you loyally, Sir Doctor," Bors reminded and the Doctor smiled sadly. Loyalty; that was something he definitely didn't deserve.

He reached out, patting the man's arm. "Yes... Yes, you have," he agreed softly.

"Then begin your tale."

The Doctor swallowed, wetting his lips. Someone deserved to know. Maybe then he wouldn't be so keen to throw him a party. Maybe then he'd see just what a coward he actually was.

"Well..." he drawled out. "A little while ago, a very long way from here, I was looking for my wife," he started slowly. "She was taken by a monster, and I searched."

He walked over to the window, looking out into the night outside. He could see so many stars. "I looked in the deepest depravity of the universe, and I never found her." And he had. He'd looked in some awful, _awful_ places. Where people were nothing but chattel, where deplorable things would occur that he'd try and stop when he could. He was a good man, after all, that was what she'd always said.

But as he'd searched, and seen the universe, and seen just what Missy might have done to her, what she was going to have to live through… that fight fell away. He'd stopped helping, he'd stopped caring. He turned away from the suffering of the universe, so much so that he knew she wouldn't even recognise him anymore. Then he'd done something he knew she'd never forgive.

He'd turned his back on a child crying.

"Instead I found a battlefield," he continued as he echoes of the day that had brought him this far into the past ran through his head. "Story of my life. I've seen many battlefields. This one will be different." He took a deep breath in, but it came out as a heavy, resigned sigh. "This one will be my last."

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara was really trying hard to get back into the swing of things. She'd exhausted every single avenue she had trying to locate the Doctor – and hopefully Danni – but she was out of options. Even Jack and River had come to see her looking for him, which had been incredibly worrying, but she knew that staying put was the best thing to do at this point. The Doctor would come back for her when he was ready and gallivanting around the universe wasn't going to help him find her any quicker.

Of course, she still had to wonder if work was the best way to fall back into some temporary normality. As she held the bin out to Ryan, one of her many students, for him to spit his chewing gum in.

"Will I get it back after school?" he asked, much to the room's disgust. It was questions like that which made her question being a teacher.

"How will you know which one's yours?" she asked and he pulled a sheepish little grin as he realised just how stupid his question actually was. She nodded at him to sit down again as she headed back to her desk.

She placed the bin back on the floor before starting her circle of the room again. She found she taught better when she was moving. "Now, where was I? Jane Austen. Amazing writer, brilliant comic observer, and strictly among ourselves, a phenomenal kisser." She glanced out of the window, still unable to not check for that blue box she was almost always waiting for.

That's not what she saw. In fact, what she saw made so little sense that she stopped in the middle of her train of thought to stare at it. Planes in the sky were not a strange sight in London. It was an incredibly busy city and she found that she barely heard them anymore. This one, however, seemed to be hanging in the sky. Stuck on the cloud it was passing in front of.

She frowned. No. That couldn't be right. She quickly went to her desk, grabbing one of her dry erase markers before heading back to the window. Perhaps it was just a perception thing. She drew a circle around the plane on the window and watched, waiting for it to leave the thin black lines as it flew on about it's business.

It didn't. The plane was frozen in the air.

She turned around, popping the pen lid back on. "Everybody turn on their phones," she told her students as she put the pen back then headed to the window. She opened it up and leant outside, searching the sky for more planes. "News websites and Twitter."

"Twitter?" Ryan asked, amused as the students did as she asked. There was a lot of amused murmuring as they wondered what was wrong with their teacher. She normally didn't like that much noise in her classroom, but this was important.

"Hashtag 'ThePlanesHaveStopped'," she told them as she shut the window again. "Quick as you can. First one to find anything can have Ryan's gum at the end of class."

They all jeered at Ryan, although even he seemed to know it was said in jest. She never really made fun of her students; she remembered being that age and going through something terrible, so she knew what it was like to be young and emotional. She just used it to keep them playful and distracted as her mind ran over the many, _many_ things that the planes in the sky could possibly mean.

It was obviously alien. She could pretty much guarantee that right off the bat. But which alien? She knew so many races that had much more advanced technology than them, but who could just stop planes in the air?

"Miss, Miss," Yasmine called, hand in the air as she stared at the phone. "BBC News has just tweeted out breaking news. Apparently it's all over the country."

"Nice one, Yasmine," Clara replied, pointing at the girl. "That's the one to beat, folks. You all spend half your day on your phone, I expect you to put it to good use."

And they did. Her students found more news on the planes than she was sure that the news outlets themselves had, but unfortunately it wasn't much at all. The frozen planes were everywhere and no one had any idea what was going on.

The door opened as she moved between the tables and Mr Dunlop stepped him. He looked absolutely bewildered. "Miss Oswald, a call at the office," he told her and she nodded. She had been expecting it from the moment she'd seen the plane outside. She was still the Doctor and Danni's current companion so she was the best port of call to get in touch with them. And, as no one was answering her phone calls, chances were that they weren't answering anyone else's either.

"Yeah, that would probably be UNIT," she replied, heading to her desk to grab her jacket. Her bag was in the teacher's lounge, but that would only be a quick detour for her.

"They're telling me you're needed," he said, still looking like he wasn't sure what was going on. "They were going to put me through to the Prime Minister."

She walked up to him, trying to look her most sombre. "Mr Dunlop, sorry. I have to take the rest of the day off owing to a, er..." She paused, wondering how to explain just why they were calling her. "Personal crisis," she settled on.

She couldn't help the grin on her face that appeared – this was bound to get her into contact with the Doctor – and she dashed out to pick up her back. As she had suspected, her phone was ringing when she grabbed it, UNIT already waiting for her to answer and ask for her help. She readily agreed, hopped onto her motorbike, and headed straight to the Tower of London.

Kate looked positively relieved to see her. "He's not answering his phone," she told Clara straight away, not bothering with pleasantries. "Have you tried?"

"He's still looking for Danni," Clara explained as they both strode towards the mass of computers and people that were in the middle of the underground room. "He's not going to answer for just anything if he hasn't found her. We need more to give him."

They came to a stop in front of a large glass screen with a map of the world on it. Over it were many, many tiny red dots she assumed were the planes. "How many planes?"

"4,165 aircraft currently airborne," Jac, another officer from UNIT, told them both.

"That's a lot of passengers," Kate commented.

"That's a lot of fuel," Clara countered. Kate's eyes widened slightly; she obviously hadn't even considered that.

"Oh, dear God," she breathed. "Yes, it is."

"Okay, so," Clara said thoughtfully as she walked around the screen. "What could you do with 4,000 flying bombs?"

"Ah, well, 439 nuclear power stations currently active," Jac told her as, with a tap on the screen, a lot more little dots appeared across the world.

"What else?" Kate asked.

"I dunno," Clara replied, shaking her head as she tried to think up any sort of possibility. "Er, fault lines. Earthquake, a tsunami?"

Jac nodded, sitting down at her desk. "Running simulations now."

"So this is an attack?" Kate reasoned.

"What kind of an attack advertises?" Clara countered. "Why show somebody what you can do? Why not just do it? What's actually happened to the planes? What are the pilots saying?"

"We, we can't contact them," Kate explained.

"The planes haven't stopped," Jac said. "They're actually frozen. Like, frozen in time. Pardon my sci-fi, but this is beyond any human technology."

"Okay, so we need the Doctor."

Clara turned to look at the science officer. "Kate, we can't just phone the Doctor and bleat, he's never going to stop looking for Danni for just anything. If we really need his help, we need give him something big to come back for." She crossed her arms. "Come on. What have we got? What do we know? It's not an attack, it's not an invasion, because, well, that doesn't come with a fair warning. So, somebody needs our attention. Somebody who needs to put a gun to our heads to make us listen." Her eyes widened in realisation. "Oh."

"Oh?" Kate repeated.

"What if it's Danni?" Clara suggested hopefully.

"I don't think Danielle would even know how to begin to do something on this scale," Kate said, her brows furrowed at the suggestion.

"But think about it. Someone messing with time, trying to get our attention but not hurting anyone. Over dramatic, a little confused on how communication works..."

"We've got a message," one of the technicians called over. "The Doctor channel."

"Sorry, what?"

"He never uses it. I doubt he remembers it even exists," Kate told her.

"But Danni would," Clara said, nodding as if it confirmed her guess. "It could be her."

"She would just call," Kate pointed out. "They both have previous, but not like this. She wouldn't put people in danger.

She had a point. They rushed over to the technician. "Then who is it?" Clara asked.

"Decrypting," the man told them, typing away as they stared impatiently at the screen he was working on. "We're getting text through, I think."

"Texting?" Clara repeated, her hope deflating even more. "Definitely not the Doctor. Or Danni. She likes to talk." There was a beep and white text appeared on the screen.

 _You so fine._

"Have you got any more?" Kate asked. The screen flashed again as the text changed.

 _You blow my mind._

Clara's heart froze, her skin broke out into goosebumps as the text changed again.

 _Hey Missy, you so fine, you so fine, you blow my mind! Hey_

 _Missy!_

She rocked back onto her heels as she was bombarded with memories of Danny Pink in a Cyberman suit. Of a woman dressed like Mary Poppins gloating about what she had done to the dead just to kidnap Danni. Her blood burnt, her anger built as did the horror that Missy was still _alive_. After all this time, after searching and searching for Danni, she'd had no idea that Missy was still a threat.

Then the screen changed and confirmed Clara's worst fears. There was Missy, looking straight at them all from somewhere outside. " _T_ _oday, I shall be talking to you out of_ _-_ " They all jumped back as her head stretched out of the screen like some warped 3D image. " _-t_ _he square window!_ "

"What the hell was that?" Kate exclaimed, also horrified at the woman's sudden appearance. "How did she do that?"

"Dunno. Some sort of psychic projection, or something," Jac replied as the staff worked on locating where the transmission was come from.

"Oh great, thanks."

" _Okay, cutting to the chase,_ " Missy said, keeping the attention entirely on her. " _Not dead, back, big surprise, never mind. I'm in a lovely little square in one of your, oh, I don't know, hot countries. There's a light breeze coming from the east, this coffee is a buzz-monster in my brain,_ " she raised a small white coffee cup, " _and I'm going to need eight snipers._ "

"Eight what?"

" _Three for each heart, and two for my brain stem,_ " Missy explained. " _You'll have to switch me off fast, before I can regenerate. How fast can you get here? Ooo, I'll need to arrange you a flight corridor._ " She raised a small device, licking the tip of her finger before typing on it to open the corridor for them.

"Why do you need snipers?" Kate asked her suspiciously.

Missy paused in her typing to look at her camera. " _Because it's the only way she'll feel safe enough to talk to me,_ " she replied. Clara instantly knew that she was talking about her, they all did. " _Shall we say four o'clock?_ "

The screen went dead before any of them could reply, but they all were in a state of shock and probably couldn't have anyway. Kate turned to Clara. "Is eight enough?" she asked with no doubt that Clara was going to meet her.

Clara nodded. "You heard her," she replied, waving a hand at the screen. "It should be plenty, apparently."

She couldn't believe that this was happening, but at the same time she was _so_ happy it was. She could finally get back at her for what she did to both Danny and Danni. The insane Time Lady was alive and could finally be punished.

She pulled out her phone, once again ringing the Doctor. His voice sounded just as irritated as always. "Doctor. We have her. We have Missy," she told the answering machine. "I don't know where the _hell_ you are, but we have her. And if we have her, we can get to Danni. I'm in the Tower of London. Get here now, you've got about 10 minutes."

She hung up and crossed her arms, watching thoughtfully as UNIT rushed around to get her transportation to the little plaza Missy had been sat in. Kate was barking out orders like she was made to give them, but stopped on one of her passes, hesitating slightly in front of Clara.

"Do you think he'll come?" she asked.

"For us? No," Clara replied bluntly. "But if Missy is here then he'll have a clear shot at getting Danni back, and nothing in the universe will keep him away."

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara knew that the snipers were in position, otherwise she wouldn't have been allowed onto the square at all. She knew that, at a moment's notice, Missy would be shot and shot again until she was dead – properly this time – and that no matter what, she was safe.

It didn't help, though, as they pulled up in the black car to conduct what was a rather bizare meeting. She stepped out and saw Missy drinking her coffee like she didn't have a care in the world. Clara didn't expect to be affected so strongly by that, but she was and she strode over with her hands clenched at her sides. She had to be calm. She couldn't get emotional.

She came to a stop by the chair in front of her, staring expectantly. Missy waved at it in invitation. "Go on, then."

Clara sat, checking around her to see if she could see the snipers. They were in place. She was safe. This was fine.

"How's your boyfriend?" Missy started cruelly. "Still tremendously dead, I expect."

"Still dead, yeah," Clara replied, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. This was how it was going to be, was it? Petty digs at everything in her life, all designed to wound. Clara could deal with that.

"Where's Danni?"

"Oh, let's not start that," Missy dismissed. "I'm not going to tell you, no matter how nicely you ask, and you know it."

Clara shook her head. "Well, that's all I'm here for," she replied simply. "Where is she?"

Missy took a sip of her drink before placing it down on the saucer. "Safe," she stated. "That is all you need to know. Would you like to sit in the shade? Danielle really wouldn't like it if I let you burn, would she?" She pulled out her controller and a shadow of a plane covered them both, protecting them from the Mediterranean heat.

"Better?" Missy asked her. "I expect you've tried to contact him by now. Well, you should know, I can't find him either. No one can."

"That's because he's looking for Danni," Clara retorted. "He's not answering his phone for anyone."

"Not like this." Missy reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out a small golden disc covered in what Clara guessed was Gallifreyan. She placed it onto the table in front of her, turning it so the sliver of an opening was pointing towards Clara. "It's a confession dial."

"A what?" Clara snapped, with very little patience for her messing around.

"In your terms, a will. The Last Will and Testament of the Time Lord known as the Doctor, to be delivered, according to ancient tradition, to his closest friend, on the eve of his final day."

Clara felt herself straighten slightly at the implications of her words. She knew that Missy wasn't lying, after all she had no reason to, which meant something much worse. Was it for her, then? But the Doctor wasn't exactly on friendly terms with her. With either of them, actually.

"Then why do you have it?" Clara shot back. "That should be Danni's."

"It was delivered to me for me, in turn, to deliver to her," Missy explained. "However, I am not a delivery boy. And, well, how am I supposed to keep the fight in her when her hope fades away at the sight of this?"

"So you've come to me for help?" Clara asked in disbelief. "To save the Doctor so that you don't have to tell Danni that he's dead? Since when did you care?"

"I have know the Doctor a long time. Longer than you, and certainly longer than Danielle," Missy replied. "I will always, on some level, care."

"He's not going to want your help. Not after what you did."

Missy shrugged. "It's just a game."

"You keep trying to kill him!"

"He keeps trying to kill me," Missy interrupted.

"You stole his wife!"

Missy opened her mouth to protest but then picked up her cup again. "Yes, I did," she agreed. "She's mine, not his. I shared for long enough."

"Sha-Shared?" Clara exclaimed. "You kidnapped her!"

"And he'll forgive me for it," she countered. "He always does."

"Not for this," Clara said with promise in her voice. Missy didn't seem to care, taking another sip of her coffee. Clara felt her frustration building up almost to bursting point. Why was she even here, then?

"Keeping the fight in Danni isn't exactly to your advantage, though, is it?" Clara pointed out. "If she's still fighting you then she's going to get away eventually."

"Have you never met Danielle?" Missy retorted. "The whole point of her is her fight, her… _passion_. When she loses it, she becomes boring. She's not very good at subservience."

Clara shook her head. "No, no, that's not it," she said. "You're doing this to save the Doctor. This has nothing to do with Danni. You want his forgiveness." She blinked, surprised. "You're doing this to be good."

Missy looked at her, amused. "Good?" she repeated. Before Clara could blink she pointed her device at one of the Secret Service men stood around them and he disintegrated on the spot. There was pandemonium as the rest of the servicemen pulled out guns to point at her. Clara shot out of her chair, dashing towards where the man had stood, but came to a stop when she realised there wasn't much to be done. Missy had actually killed him.

And here she was thinking that _maybe_ Missy might have gained some sort of sanity since they'd last seen each other.

"By the ring on his finger, he was married, and I, I think I detected some baby leakage on his jacket, so he had a family." She grimaced, as if embarrassed for the man who had died. Like he should have known better.

She raised her voice in annoyance. "No, I've not turned good!" she snapped out before disintegrating another serviceman just to prove her point. "Ooh, wow, I'm on a roll. Thanks for bringing spares."

Clara turned to her, panting out of anger and slight fright, not that she wanted to admit that.

"Stop it. Just stop it!" she shouted. "Don't shoot anybody else!"

Missy ignored her, looking past her to one of the drivers. "Oi, you, sweaty one, on your knees. Let's have a goodbye selfie for your kids."

Clara was almost shaking. "Missy, nobody else!"

"Say something nice," Missy commanded with a smirk on her face.

" _No._ "

"I'll kill everyone in this square," Missy warned. Clara stormed towards her, calling her bluff.

"Start with me," she retorted. "Then what, hey?" She walked over, placing her hands on the table and leaning over her. "You came here for my help."

"Because the Doctor is in danger!" Missy reminded her.

"Make me believe you."

"How?"

"Where's Danni?" Clara quickly shot back, staring the woman down to show that she meant business. If she could get Danni's location then she could contact the Doctor, let him know, and he'd be there before they knew it.

Missy's gaze didn't waver as she pointed her device at another guard, disintegrating them as well. Clara tried not to flinch. She'd have expected a denial, not another casualty.

"Fine, fine!" she exclaimed. She couldn't let anyone else die. "Release the planes."

"The planes are keeping me alive," Missy reminded her. "I mean, there's," she looked around to count them, "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight naughty little snipers ready to kill me."

"Yeah." Clara raised her hand into the air. "On my command. The Doctor is in danger. Show me you care. Make me believe."

For some reason, despite the situation, Clara felt like she was staring down a small child. She knew that she couldn't falter even for a moment because Missy would know that she might actually win. At school this would have been a threat of a detention, though, and not threat of 4,000 planes plummeting to the ground and destroying the Earth.

But, just like with the children, it always worked. Missy rolled her eyes but pulled out her controller again and the planes started flying once again. Of course, Missy couldn't just admit she'd done it to prove she was serious, and instead slowly placed her feet up on the chair next to her.

"It's only a basic Time Stop. Parlour trick. Couldn't have done anything with them anyway," she said with an air of boredom. Clara really tried not to give into the temptation to strangle her. Instead she lowered her hand to show that she was going to keep her side of the deal as well.

"What does it say?" she asked softly.

"What does what say?"

"His confession," Clara clarified. Missy moved from her relaxed state, turning to face Clara as she realised that she was getting the help she'd requested.

"I don't know," Missy replied. "It will only open for Danielle."

"So we don't know if he's actually dead?" Clara asked in reply as she sat down in the chair opposite Missy. The relief at the fact that Missy didn't say that he definitely was almost made her cry. She couldn't bare the idea of either of them dying on her. They weren't allowed. But she kept her cool as best as she could; Missy couldn't see her weak.

Missy leant forward. "Question; If the Doctor has one last night to live, if he's certain he's facing the end of his life, where, in all of space and time, would he go?"

"He'd be with Danni," Clara instantly replied. "He'd not care about where or when, as long as they were together."

"And if that couldn't happen?" Missy shot back.

Clara shrugged as one of the servicemen brought over a laptop for her. "Well, here."

"Well, yes, Earth, obviously!" Missy stood up, walking to her side so she could see the screen. "But where? When?" Clara quickly logged onto the laptop and onto the video call of UNIT on the other side. They were already searching for the Doctor, using every piece of computer software they had to generate the probabilities of the Doctor being at any one point.

" _There we go. San Martino, Troy, multiples for New York,_ _an_ _d three possible versions of Atlantis,_ " Jac read off to them. " _It's easier than you'd think. The Doctor makes a lot of noise and he loves to make an entrance._ "

" _But which one is the one? Where is he now?_ " Kate asked. There was just so many places to chose from, and all of them could or could not be the right Doctor. He'd done so much for Earth over his many lifetimes that it could be any one of his faces.

Clara leant back in her chair. This was too complicated. They needed to make it simpler. "When he was going to die on Trenzalore he didn't want Danni there to see it," she mused out loud. "But that was a lie and he wouldn't do it again. Both of them are so codependent that they'd want the other one there, regardless of how hard it was going to be. He'd pretend he was hiding from her, but really he's not. He'd want her to find him, just like she would want him to find her."

"That's true," Missy agreed. "All she does is go _on and on_ about how one day he'll save her."

Clara didn't answer that. "But he doesn't want anyone else to find him. When we think of the Doctor, we think of a man saving the day. You're looking at all the places across time and space where he's saved the day. All the crisis points that he's helped sway to us, because he makes a lot of noise and he loves to make an entrance." She looked up at Missy. "How's a Time Lord supposed to die?"

"Meditation. Repentance and acceptance," she replied. "Contemplation of the absolute."

Clara turned back to the screen. "Change the algorithm. Eliminate the crisis points. Where is the Doctor making the most noise, but there isn't any crisis?" She leant back in the chair again. "We all think of him as a hero, but he's always denied it. If I was Danni, I wouldn't look where there's the most crisis, I'd look where he's making the most noise just for being there."

"Of course," Missy said, sounding rather exasperated. "It's not a crisis, it's a bloody party."

Clara quickly switched from the video call to the algorithm screen, watching all the tiny dots that could represent the Doctor disappear before only one remained, flashing on the south of the UK.

"There he is," Clara breathed, amazed that she had been right, and yet not completely surprised.

"You go, girl!" Missy praised before reaching over, slamming something onto her wrist before Clara even realised what she was doing. There was a flash of light as Clara was thrown all over all at once then she landed on the ground, winded and coughing.

Next to her Missy laughed in pure delight. "Mummy, do it again!" she cried happily as Clara looked around. It was dark now, and the ground and the walls around them were made of stone. She'd had a similar experience once before, but she'd been prepared that time. "Vortex manipulators," she explained as if Clara didn't know. "Yours is slaved to mine. Cheap and nasty time travel."

The air was full of people cheering and clapping, and Missy walked over to the wall to look down at the crowd below. Clara joined her and was surprised to find them looking down at a castle courtyard, with wooden stands surrounded it. People were cheering on the rather large man in armour who was stood in the middle. He waved his axe around before facing the large castle doors.

"Face me, Magician! Face me!" he shouted and the crowd cheered him on. There was obviously some sort of fight about to happen. Clara really didn't want to see a bloodbath. It made her feel rather queasy to even think about.

"You probably want to throw up, don't you?" Missy asked. "Pick a local. According to you, this is where the Doctor is."

Clara turned to her. "Okay, how do we find him?" she asked. "How do we know what we're looking for?"

"Anachronisms," she replied, like it was obvious. "The slightest, tiniest..." She trailed off as a rather loud screech from a guitar, definitely an electric guitar, rang out from behind the door. Smoke began billowing out as if someone was about to start a rock concert. "...Anachronisms," she finished, sounding rather annoyed.

Clara could only watch with her mouth hanging open as a tank slowly began to enter the courtyard through the fog, the Doctor perched on top as he played an electric guitar. In the past. In a castle courtyard. Whilst wearing shades and a hoodie. Were… were his trousers checkered? What _was_ going on?

He came to a stop, finishing the riff spectacularly and the whole courtyard exploded into applause whilst his fighting foe looked nonplussed. "Dude! What is that?" he asked, exasperated.

"You said you wanted an axe fight," the Doctor replied, holding his arms up in the air as he expected raucous laughter. He didn't get any. "Oh, come on. In a few hundred years, that'll be really funny," he continued as he jumped off the tank, pushing his guitar around to sit on his back. "It's a slow burner."

"A musical instrument is not an axe," the man in the armour pointed out.

"Yes, and a daffodil is not a broadsword," the Doctor countered, walking around him as he seemed to play up to the audience. "But I still won the last round!" He chucked his arms up again, guitar in one hand but this time the crowd cheered for him.

What was happening? Seriously? Clara couldn't understand it. The Doctor, especially _this_ Doctor, didn't like people, let alone try and play it for the cheap seats in a crowed courtyard! He looked so different it was unnerving, and he kept making terrible jokes… Well, that wasn't _too_ different but everything about what she was seeing felt so wrong.

"What's the matter with him? He's never like this," she asked Missy.

"Oh, you really are new, aren't you?" she replied as the Doctor paused in his rambling, looking directly at them. He even lowered his glasses to peek over the top, as if trying to get a better look.

"Wait, hang on. Did he just hear that?" she asked. "He doesn't know we're here, does he?"

As if to prove her wrong – he seemed to like doing that – he pulled his guitar back around to his front as he stared up at the pair. Despite the strangest of what was going on, and her worry that he really was about to die, plus her general frustration at having to work with Missy, Clara couldn't help but smile as the Doctor starting playing ' _Cruell_ _a_ _d_ _e Vil_ ' from One Hundred and One Dalmatians on his guitar.

She turned to Missy, who looked positively outraged. "I think that's for you," she told the other woman gleefully.

Missy didn't reply as the Doctor turned to the audience again. Clara left her stood their to pout as she headed downwards. The Doctor was still interacting with the audience as she reached the outskirts of the courtyard.

"But I've got some sad news for you, dudes. Tonight, I'm going to have to leave you," he continued as she watched. The crowd all started to protest but he held his hand up. "But before I do, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine!"

He caught Clara's eyes and she joined him in the courtyard, waving shyly to the crowd, who were staring at her.

"How did you know I was here? Did you see me?" she asked him lowly, amazed.

"I'm never not looking, Clara," he told her sadly.

 _People who've lost someone, they're always listening, always looking, always hoping. So, they notice more. They hear more._

That's what he'd said about Maebh and why she could hear the trees, back when the forest had appeared on Earth, before everyone had forgotten it had even happened.

She smiled sympathetically. "You thought I was Danni?" she asked softly.

He didn't reply, instead pulled her in for a hug. A hug from a man who didn't particularly like her anymore. She tensed slightly under it, more out of shock than surprise, but then hugged him back. "We're doing hugging now?" she asked him jokingly. "Which one of us is dying?"

He didn't reply straight away and she suddenly felt like it wasn't a joke, it was really real. He was going to die.

"Well, you know what they say. Hugging is a great way to hide your face," he told her before letting her go.

He obviously wasn't going to bring up what was going on, so she took it upon herself to do so. She raised his sunglasses so she could see his eyes, so he couldn't lie to her. "Okay, look. I guessed a party, but not like this. What is this? This isn't you," she told him.

"I spent all day yesterday in a bow tie, the day before in a long scarf." He put his sunglasses back down again. "It's my party, and all of me is invited!"

He moved away, playing his guitar again as Missy entered the courtyard. Clara rolled her eyes. He was playing ' _Hey Mickey'_. Of course he was.

"What the hell are you up to, man?" Missy asked, looking positively flattered.

In return, the Doctor turned to the crowd. "It's the wicked stepmother!" he cried angrily. "Everyone hiss!"

Missy bowed and pulled out her handkerchief, bowing as the crowd did as they were asked and booed and hissed the new woman. The Doctor backed away towards Clara, keeping his distance, but much to Clara's bewilderment he didn't attack Missy further.

"Apparently, you think you're going to die tomorrow," Missy declared, pulling out the confession dial and holding it up into the air.

"That's not yours," he retorted shortly.

"Well, I couldn't just go giving it to her, could I?" Missy replied. "You'll know that she'll break if she found out that you were dying. I couldn't do that to the wee girl."

The Doctor grinned. "Well, I've got some good news about that," he said joyfully.

"Oh, yeah?"

"It's still today!" He backed away, playing the 'wah, wah, wah' jingle Clara had heard on many game shows before. As the end of the note played off the sound of choking took all their attention to the man in the armour.

The Doctor immediately ran over, pulling his sunglasses off as the other man dropped to his knees. "Bors. Is it a marble again? Did you swallow one of the marbles I gave you?" Bors continued to clutch at his neck, so the Doctor forced his hands underneath. "Don't swallow marbles!" The moment he'd felt the scales under his hand he'd grabbed the thing attacking his friend and chucked it to the floor.

Clara jumped back away from the black and white snake, slightly alarmed by it as the crowd gasped in horror. It slithered away towards a figure in robes. It went underneath their robes, disappearing as they looked up. She could only stare at the weird way their face seemed to be pieced together. It was almost as if their head was made out of different sections.

"Doctor," they hissed. "Your friends have led me to you. You will come."

The Doctor stepped backwards, away from them and towards the tank. "Says you and whose army?" he asked lowly.

Clara quickly dashed over to the Doctor as if he could protect her as the figure's face twisted, proving her initial thoughts completely true. The crowd cried out, screaming as they fled the stands. Clara couldn't blame them as the figure dissolved into dozens of snakes with one giant one in the middle of the pile, but she knew the best place to be was with the Doctor.

He strode forward, face like fury. "Nobody dies here. Not one person, not one of my friends, do you understand?" he shouted up at the giant snake, not at all bothered by it. Clara immediately felt better; that was more like the Doctor she knew.

"Davros, creator of the Daleks, dark lord of Skaro, is dying," the giant snake hissed.

"So I hear."

The snake lowered down, as if it was trying to make eye contact with him. "He would speak with you again on the last night of his life."

"Then you will harm nobody in this place. Not one person. Are we very, very clear?" the Doctor snapped back. It wasn't a request, it was a command. They watched as the creature pulled itself back together again, all of the snakes slithering underneath the robes before it formed the single figure once again.

"Are you so dangerous, little man?" it hissed.

"You want to know how dangerous I am?" the Doctor asked in return ash he walked away. "Davros sent you. You know how stupid you are? Huh? You came!" The figure hissed angrily and the Doctor looked at it in angry disbelief. "Is that supposed to frighten me? Snake nest in a dress?" he retorted. "Now, explain, politely. Davros is my arch-enemy. Why would I want to talk to him?"

"Davros knows. Davros remembers," the creature hissed before reaching into its robes. It held the sonic screwdriver out in front of them, battered and old, before chucking it onto the ground in front of the Doctor.

Clara turned to him, confused, as she watched the Doctor she knew disappear. He shrank back, almost like the screwdriver would hurt him. His head was bowed, his confidence gone.

"That's yours," Clara stated, looking to him for an answer. He wouldn't look her in the face. He wouldn't look any of them in the face.

"Er, it was," he muttered as if he was in pain.

"Was?"

"I don't have a screwdriver any more," he explained.

"Ooo. Never seen that before," Missy stated, hands on her hips as she stared at him. She looked almost delighted. "Doctor, the look on your face. What is that?"

"Shame," Clara declared for him. He didn't look up, confirming what she'd said. "You're ashamed. Doctor? What have you done?" The thought that hit her hurt, and her anger flared. "You've given up," she realised. "You're not looking for her anymore. Something happened and you gave up on her..."

He looked up, eyes wide in a pathetic desperation. "No, not on her," he replied. "Never on her."

Clara stepped forward. "Yes, on her," she snapped angrily. "How dare you? You-You were going to your death knowing that you were never going to see her again! That-That you were never going to find her because _you_ stopped looking!"

"No!" he exclaimed. "I didn't give up on her. I left her safe!"

"Safe?!" Clara exclaimed. "She's with _her!"_ She pointed at Missy, who looked positively delighted at this new development. "How can you do that to her? We all put our faith in you! She put her faith in you!"

"She'll let her go eventually," the Doctor replied. "She was always going to."

Missy snorted. "Excuse me!"

The Doctor turned, the shame disappearing off his face as he looked at her incredulously. "You don't think I remember?" he asked. "How you never hit her?"

Missy shrugged. " _That's_ definitely changed. Your memory doesn't mean anything."

"Yes, it does," he insisted. "Because I remember a young, red-headed woman staring down Rassilon for you. A woman who ranted against the maddest of the mad in the universe, who scolded him for what he did to you." Missy looked smug and the Doctor jabbed a finger in her direction. "And you _let_ her. You let her speak for you when no one else ever could. Anyone else would have been just another victim, regardless of whether they were right or wrong. You won't keep her forever."

"I didn't have much of a choice, now did I?" Missy pointed out. "I was saving the world as you stood by, being all lanky and pinstriped. This isn't any fun unless you at least _try..._ "

"Well, I can't," he exclaimed. "I can't… I..." The look was back.

"What happened?" Clara asked again, this time softer. "What happened that made you just turn away?"

The Doctor couldn't answer. She watched it war on his face, the shame of what he'd done, then he strode forwards towards the snake creature.

"Is your ship in orbit?"

Missy followed him over. "It's a trap."

The creature grinned at its victory. "Prepare yourself for teleport."

"Doctor, listen to me," Missy tried again. "I know traps, traps are my flirting. This is a trap."

The Doctor ignored her, stepping backwards. "I am prepared."

Missy placed herself between the Doctor and the creature, making him look at her as Clara could only watch on. She let Missy try because she was already out of ideas. He was resigned to his fate, his mind was made up. He'd well and truly given up.

"You sent me your confession dial to give to _my_ pet. You threw yourself a three week party. You know what this is," she pointed out urgently.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes," he replied. "Goodbye." He turned away from the pair, his wrists clasped behind his back. One of the snakes slipped from the robes and up the Doctor to bind his wrists.

Clara looked over at Missy, and could tell instantly that they were both thinking the same thing. She strode forward, joining him on one side as Missy joined him on the other. "We're coming with him. Both of us, her and me," she declared.

"No!" the Doctor exclaimed. "No, no, no. Under no circumstances!" He watched as the creature seemed to wriggle on the spot. "What are you doing now?"

"Voting," it replied before grinning. "We are a democracy. It is agreed."

Two more snakes slipped out, binding their wrists as well as the Doctor shook his head. "No, no, no! I forbid it, no!" he commanded but, like always, no one ever listened. "No! No! No! No!"

 _~0~0~0~_

 _A fair bit into the future and a long way away..._

Being the Shadow Architect of the Shadow Proclamation was not an easy job. Some days it felt like there was no end, and thriving in that environment was something very few did. Today was no exception. Between suicide moons and wars that reached across many galaxies, she also had to deal with some of the most deadly of people across the universe.

"Your co-operation is not required," she told their new prisoner, who had been brought straight to the leader of the Shadow Proclamation at her own request. The Shadow Architect was more than happy to meet with her. "You have already been tried in absentia and will be transferred to one of our more secure facilities. The Stormcage Facilities are known for their..."

In the ornate marble room it was not very hard to miss the figure all dressed in black. The Shadow Architect came to a stop in the middle of the room, two Judoon flanking her while their visitor was hidden from view. "Apparently we have a security breach," she declared to her minions. Her face twisted into her anger at the appearance of the horrid creature.

She strode towards them. "I won't ask how you got in here, but I will demand to know your business, Colony Sarff."

The colony of snakes did not step out of the shadows in which they were hiding. "Where is the Doctor?"

"I've no idea. He's not our concern," she explained shortly. "And he's certainly not your employer's."

"The Doctor is required," Colony Sarff hissed back.

"For what?" the Shadow Architect demanded in return. "Colony Sarff, you need to tell me. What does Davros want with the Doctor?"

The creature just stared back for a moment, silent, before turning and gliding away. A moment later and they disappeared in a flash of light.

The Shadow Architect turned to the prisoner. "You know the Doctor better than anyone," she stated. "What does Davros want with the Doctor?"

Danielle Fielding shrugged. "It depends, really," she said. "The Doctor and Davros have a lot of history that spans quite a lot of time. Did he teleport or time jump?" The Shadow Architect opened her mouth and Danni rolled her eyes. "Really? You're going to tell me that nothing in this government building on this floating city can't analyse what he just did? I mean, I _would_ check myself, but..." she shook her wrists. The metal restraints that kept her hands behind her back jingled. "I'm a little tied up at the moment. At my own request, if you remember." She looked up at the Judoon by her side, smirking. "I did want you all to feel safe around me," she told it with a bit of a flirt in her voice.

The Shadow Architect really didn't want to admit to any prisoner, much less the Time Child, just what the Shadow Proclamation had at their disposal. But she was the only one who could answer her questions, so she called for the information on her communication device.

"Teleported," she told Danni shortly, who nodded her head.

"That, most likely, means that Davros is in this time period. Interesting." She sucked on her bottom lip slightly as she looked up, thinking on the information she had just been given.

The Shadow Architect gave her a moment before deciding she was being purposefully slow. "Do you know what Davros wants with the Doctor?" she demanded again.

"Well, again, that is very hard to say," Danni told her. "I want to help, I really do, but my hands are tied." She giggled to herself. "Get it? Hands are tied?" She nudged the Judoon, who didn't even move. "Oh, come on, _that_ was a good one."

"Time Child," the Shadow Architect snapped, losing the last of her patience. "The crimes you have committed against the universe over the centuries are inexcusable. We have already been lenient with you by not sentencing you to death on sight, your restraints will _not_ be removed."

"Oh, I know," Danni replied with a nod. "You're very serious, I _totally_ get that. It's just… Well, I'm a bit busy now, so..."

"You were captured, Time Child. I do not think you understand the seriousness of your situation. Being cooperative will help you, being uncooperative will result in an even harsher punishment."

Danni took in a his a breath through her teeth. "Well, you see," she grimaced slightly at the second hand embarrassment, "you didn't exactly capture me. I wasn't getting anywhere, and I was a bit bored, so I thought; ' _Hey, those bureaucrats probably have something on the Doctor, I'll go see them_ '."

"That is irrelevant. You are in our custody."

Danni nodded along with her. "Yeah, it does seem that way, doesn't it?" She looked up at the two Judoon keeping their eyes on her. "And what wonderful custody it is too. Definitely some of the better custody I've been in over the recent years. Honestly, I don't say that often. Well… Not too often… Well, not in the last couple of days, anyway."

She turned back to the Shadow Architect. "But, again, you're going to love how this works out, cause I did." She grinned as if she was sharing an inside joke. "You've just given me my first proper lead. The Doctor will go and see Davros eventually, and now I know when. So, coming here wasn't a complete waste of time. I do have just one teeny _tiny_ suggestion." She looked upwards, nodding at the ceiling. "Your scanners? Absolutely rubbish. They're _so_ easy to fool."

With a clatter of her restraints on the floor, Danni reached up to the top of her arm where her vortex manipulator sat. "Bye, sweetie," she called to the Shadow Architect, with a wave of her fingers, and she was gone.

The Shadow Architect's face contorted into pure fury. "Stop her!" she shrieked but it was too late. "Find her! Find the Time Child!"

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to leave lots of lovely comments while I'll go sleep._

 _I go to Disney World in a few days for 2 weeks, so I can't promise an upload next week because, you know, the most magical place on Earth and all that. Keep an eye on my Tumblr for updates and stuff, though! It's dannifielding, just like here :)_

 _No review replies today except to say thank you very much for all of your lovely words. You all are fantastic, and I appreciate every single one. But, the aforementioned sleep needs to happen._


	9. The Conversations

No one ever listened to him. They pretended to, sure, but then whenever the Doctor told them to do something _very important_ , they just ignored everything he said. That was why he was sat in a spaceship with the two women in the universe he'd really rather not be with at any point in his life, let alone on the way to his last day.

"Oh, do stop pouting," Missy scolded him and he looked sharply at her. "You're going to your death, not being denied another slice of cake."

"No," he retorted. "I am going to my death with the woman who killed my wife and the old hag who stole her to some end of the universe. Pouting is the least I'm afforded."

"I didn't try and kill her," Clara grumbled. Whilst her feelings on her actions hadn't changed, she had started to defend herself from his constant attacks. She needed forgiveness, not barating.

"You pushed her into a live volcano, dear," Missy replied. "If that's not trying to kill someone then I don't know what is."

"It was a dream, and I didn't want to hurt her," Clara snapped back. "And anyway, how do you even know about that?"

Missy shrugged. "Danielle told me," she said. "And don't think I'm going to let _that_ slide just because we've buddied up for this little adventure."

"Why would she tell you that?" Clara asked, worried that Danni had decided to hate her in their time apart. "Why would she tell you anything? Does she think that I was trying to hurt her?"

"No, of course not," Missy retorted. "She's always so praising of you. It's sickening. I had to put a stop to it."

"What I don't understand is what you actually want with her," Clara said, raising her voice slightly. "You said you like her most when she's fighting, but then you're trying to put that spark out. But then you're not telling her anything because you want to protect that fight. You-You make no sense!"

"What do you expect? I'm bonkers, have you not seen that yet?" Missy taunted. "She's _my_ pet. I want her. That's it."

"Until you let her go," Clara countered. "The Doctor's right, isn't he?"

"Of course he's not right," Missy retorted. "Honestly, you all just follow him like little sheep. She's _mine_."

"Will you both please shut up, and stop talking about my wife?" the Doctor asked slowly, through gritted teeth. Clara, at least, had the decency to look chastised but Missy just leant back against the wall of the ship, chucking her feet up onto the metal box in the middle of the chairs that separated the two lines of chairs. They sat in silence for a while before Clara leant forward towards him, unable to keep thinking about why Danni was talking about her at all.

"Who is Davros?" she asked him. "And why are you so keen on letting Danni rot to let him kill you?"

"Davros is the child of war," the Doctor replied, ignoring the second part of her question completely. Just like she had expected him to. "A war that wouldn't end. A thousand years of fighting, till nobody could remember why. So Davros, he created a new kind of warrior, one that wouldn't bother with that question. A mutant in a tank that would never, ever stop. And they never did."

"The Daleks?" Clara asked. The Doctor didn't nod, but that was enough confirmation for Clara. It wasn't the first time that she'd heard of the Daleks. She had, after all, seen them in person. They were horrific killing machines but she'd never really thought of the reasoning behind them. Somehow it seemed better and yet so much worse to think of them created as actual soliders rather than just things designed to clean the universe of anything different.

"How scared must you be to seal every one of your own kind inside a tank?" the Doctor asked before he lowered his gaze. She watched that ashamed look pass over his face again and had to wonder what had made him give up so completely. "Davros made the Daleks, but who made Davros?"

Clara swayed in her chair slightly as the movement of the ship changed, and Missy brought her feet off the box in front them.

"Okay, great. Coming out of hyperspace," she muttered. Clara looked out of the cockpit window and saw the streaks of stars they'd been whooshing past start to form individually. It was beautiful to look out on the universe like that, and made Clara feel rather happy to be there as well as incredibly guilty at even thinking like that. She did travel the universe with the two Time Lords to see wonders, but not at their expense.

The ship slowly came to a stop facing a strange looking floating metal space station. It looked a little like a chess piece on top, but more like a classic UFO on the bottom. It wasn't a style Clara would have immediately been able to recognise, but knowing what Davros had done to the universe, the large dome-like detailing on it did seem to be very Dalek in design.

"So that's where he ended up," the Doctor muttered from across from her, leaning forward slightly to look at where they were evidently going.

"What is that?" she asked him.

"I don't know," he replied shortly. "Davros is dying? It could possibly be a hospital, or maybe we're going on a nice family day out."

"Oh, you really don't like her anymore, do you?" Missy taunted, scooching across the bench to his side. "It's quite fun to watch, actually. It'll give me something to tell Danielle when I get home; the Doctor is a right meanie now, isn't he?"

"Shut up," the Doctor snapped at her. "You won, so _shut up_."

Of course, telling Missy to do _anything_ was never going to get the desired effect, and Clara and the Doctor were subjected to her singing as the spaceship was parked and they were marched out to their holding cell. She didn't stop once they were there, either.

"How long have we been waiting?" Clara asked from her spot on the floor. Missy was also sat down as the Doctor paced in front of them. He was obviously trying to ignore them but couldn't.

"Who knows?" he snapped out, sounding annoyed at the mere fact that she'd spoke. "It's always the way with hospitals."

The door opened and their captor, Sarff, glided in once again like he was on wheels. Perhaps he had borrowed some of the Dalek technology for the use of all the snakes underneath the robe. Maybe they were just sliding along together. Clara wasn't sure, but she tucked the question away for another time once they were free.

Which they would be. The Doctor could be over dramatic, but he wasn't about to just walk to his death. As much as he seemed to have completely given up Clara _had_ to keep that belief in him alive. Danni was counting on him. _She_ was counting on him.

"You will come," the snake-person-colony-thing hissed at the Doctor. It turned to her and Missy. "You will stay."

"Fair enough," Missy murmured. She'd also stood up the moment the door had opened, but unlike Clara and the Doctor she didn't seem to be too bothered about anything that was happening. It was rather infuriating. She shouldn't have even been there.

The Doctor followed Sarff out the door but Clara stepped forward. "Doctor." He turned to look at her. "You sent Missy your confession dial."

"No, I sent Missy the dial and the instructions to give it to Danni," he replied. Clara yet again ignored the lack of Danni's full name; he seemed to drop the habit when he was worried about her.

"My point is," she continued, "we both saw her die on Earth. And, obviously, you knew that wasn't real. Or worse, hoped it wasn't. You told us all she was dead."

He glanced over at Missy, who was swishing her dress from side to side, looking mighty smug. It infuriated him. He stepped a little closer to Clara.

"Of course I did," he hissed. "If I told everyone she was alive then they'd kill her. You know how gun happy Harkness and River can be. I needed her alive."

"Why?"

"Because she knew where Danni was," he replied, sounding like he thought she was an idiot. "If she's dead, Danni's on her own with no one to help her, or worse. She couldn't die until I found out what had happened to my wife!"

"You should have told me," Clara said firmly.

"Why?" he shot back. "It's not like I trust you." He turned away from her, giving one last glance to Missy. "Gravity," he pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. "I know," she muttered just before the door shut behind him. The hallway was much like the holding cell; cold, metal, and with no sense of individuality at all. Very Dalek indeed. There were no windows, either. Just yellow lights behind vents. Well, what would a Dalek do with windows?

It wasn't a long walk, and yet it felt like an age before the door was opened and Colony Sarff entered into the room. The Doctor had to duck his head to get through the slightly too small doorway, but he was more concerned about what was on the other side.

In the middle of the room was a platform, with tubes and wires dangling down. And in the middle of the platform was the saddest of sights. Davros, his head propped up on his hand, old and dying and a little bit pathetic as he sat in his little tank of a chair. If the Doctor didn't hate the Daleks so much, if he didn't hold so much guilt over what he had done, then he would have pitied the dying man. Instead, he just felt caution, and shame, and suspicion.

"Doctor," Davros greeted, his voice tinted with the mechanical sound of the Daleks' voice.

"Davros," the Doctor greeted in return, stopping in his circle of the platform. He hadn't really believed it, but there he was. Davros, creator of the Daleks, dying. It felt a little surreal.

"I approve of your new face, Doctor," Davros told him. "So much more like mine. Colony Sarff, untie our guest's hands." The Doctor felt a little relieved to have his hands free. "You may leave us."

The Doctor watched as Colony Sarff slithered out of the door, the metal thud of it closing reminding him that he was just as much a prisoner as he was a visitor.

"You came, then."

His voice sounded tired, like a man with not much energy left at all. The Doctor held his hands out to his side before he slowly started his circle around the platform. "Clearly."

"Without the angry little girl I've been told is now your wife?"

The Doctor straightened, the mention of his wife just angering him further. "She's busy."

"Is that because you suspected a trap?" Davros asked. The Doctor shot him a look.

"I still do."

"Then why are you here? Did you miss our conversations?" With what seemed like a struggle, Davros pressed a button on his chair. The room was suddenly filled with the Doctor's many voices, all talking about Davros and the struggle he had between what was right and what was wrong. His circling became more frantic as he tried to ignore the memories that were being projected onto a screen on the wall.

He couldn't listen, he didn't want to listen. Just more reminders of him fighting with being a good man. More reminders of how he almost failed. More reminders of how he'd fought with himself. Of how he'd never live up to her standards. Of how she'd seen past it all, and he'd still managed to let her down…

His hands started shaking again and he clenched them closed. He couldn't focus on her because he'd never go through with it. He just wanted to see her again. He wanted his wife. He wanted Danielle.

"Yes, yes, yes, okay, you've made your point," he snapped, turning away. He kept moving, kept circling around the room, taking in every detail as he tried to push the thoughts out of his head. She would be safe. She would be okay. Missy would let her go, she would get the TARDIS, and she would be free of the horrible man that he'd become.

"Have I?" Davros countered. With another tired press of a button, the Doctor's Fourth face appeared on the screen.

" _If someone who knew the future pointed out a child to you, and told you that that child would grow up totally evil, to be a ruthless dictator who would destroy millions of lives, could you then kill that child?"_

The Doctor couldn't listen to it anymore. He couldn't listen to the accusations of his past being thrown into this face. He couldn't bare the shame of his actions, of the judgement that would be brought down on him once the universe – once _Danielle_ – heard that he'd left a child to die.

He rushed over to Davros's chair, almost tripping over his own feet to turn off the screen. "I get the point."

"Do you know why you came, Doctor?" Davros asked him. "You have a sense of duty. Of guilt, perhaps. And certainly of shame."

Oh, if only he knew. He had no idea of the shame that threatened to overwhelm him, or the dispair he felt at being forced to be apart from the woman he loved. The audacity at the old man trying to psychoanalyse him infuriated him and his lips pulled back into a snarl.

"You flatter me," he spat, turning away. His eyes searched for an exit. He had expected to come to see Davros to die, not to suffer through more torment. If he'd known that he would have been more reluctant to come.

"Pity. I intended to accuse," Davros replied as he headed over to the window that looked out onto the stars outside. Danielle always loved the stars. He hoped it wouldn't change. He ran his finger over the window, expecting dust but finding now.

"I believe that for the ultimate good of the universe, I was right to create the Daleks," Davros stated.

"You were very wrong," the Doctor replied as he turned back to look at him. It really would have been a sad sight had the Doctor not been so broken himself.

"This is the argument we've had since we met."

"It ended in the Time War."

"It survived the Time War," Davros corrected. "But it will end tonight. That is why you are here." An alarm started to sound and Davros turned his head to look at a monitor on the wall. "It seems your friends have gone exploring."

The Doctor frowned, although he didn't correct Davros as he walked over to the monitor. It showed a feed onto the holding room they had been deposited into, but the room was now empty.

" _What are you doing?"_ Clara's voice came from the open doorway.

" _Treading_ _softly_ _,_ " Missy replied. They were heading out of the airlock. He'd been right. They weren't on a spaceship at all, the gravity had been too good, too perfect. He headed back over to the window. He looked out, trying to see anything out of the ordinary at all. But he saw nothing.

He turned back to the monitor, but also saw nothing but the empty holding room. He didn't move any closer, but he kept listening intently. Missy was insane, but she was incredibly clever and, now that she was out of the room, she could help him work out exactly what was going on with this strange little hospital. He knew when to investigate himself, and when to use the resources given to him.

" _No, no, there's ground,"_ Missy told Clara. " _This is the ground."_

His attention shot back to the window. If that was ground, and not floor, that meant they were on a planet and not on a space station as they had all first thought. Davros had been moved to a planet to die. But why? Where?

The fact that it was invisible was simple enough. If you needed to hide a planet, it was definitely the most complete way to go about it. Once he started to sync with the spectrum he knew he'd be able to see outside. That was very clever. Danielle would have liked that.

He rubbed his fingers together and saw the dirt from the window appear. It was starting. He watched out of the window as buildings, sand, sky and ground all began to materialise in front of him. His hearts froze. His blood ran cold as ice as he found himself thinking how _stupid_ he had been to think otherwise.

"No!" he exclaimed, backing away from the window in horror. This had been a mistake. He'd made such a terrible mistake.

He turned to Davros. " _Skaro!"_ he continued. "You've brought me to Skaro?!"

Davros didn't lift his head from his hand, nor did he look particularly bothered that he was being shouted at. "Where does an old man go to die, but with his children?" he replied softly.

The Doctor shook his head once. He couldn't let this happen. He'd allowed himself to be tricked to go to the one planet he'd hoped he'd never see again. Not only that, but his actions had led to both Missy and Clara being there as well. His mind raced. He needed to get Clara away from the Daleks. Danielle would never forgive him if his actions led to the death of her best friend, no matter how much he felt that title was much too precious for Clara to hold.

And Missy. If Missy died… then what would happen to Danni?

On the monitor it was clear that a Dalek had already found them, one that wouldn't have been visible to them a moment ago. He had to get them both away. He had to save them all!

He rushed to the door, banging on it, trying to find a way to open in. "Let me out!" he demanded. "Let me out!"

"You cannot help them now, Doctor," Davros told him. It didn't stop him trying to physically open the door. The one person in the universe who would be able to help track his wife down was being led away by a Dalek. He'd done that. He'd damned Danielle. Again.

He turned, eyes wide as his mind raced. He'd been happy to come to his death. He'd been content in the knowledge that Danni was going to be safe, relatively, and much better off without his corruption. Now he knew that wasn't the case. Now he had to escape. He had to get free from Davros, and the Daleks, and get to his wife's side. He had to apologise, to beg for her forgiveness. He had to _save_ her.

It didn't take long for the Dalek to march Missy and Clara into a control room, where every type of Dalek the Doctor could think of were standing to attention, waiting for the prisoners. His eyes quickly scanned what he could see, but it was the TARDIS that held his attention. And his horror.

The TARDIS had been brought to Skaro, the one place he had hoped she would never land again. The Daleks would attempt to destroy her, which was absolutely fine. The TARDIS was bigger, better, stronger and unimaginably more clever than any Dalek. But, there was always the slight worry that they might best her. If they bested her, how would he get away? How would the TARDIS get to Danielle?

Of course, there was also the concern that the killing machines had Clara and Missy in their grasps and that they might just kill them as well. It wasn't something he particularly wanted to happen. Missy was his enemy, was _his_ problem. No one else was allowed to deal with her but himself. It was his responsibility after failing so badly before.

" _Daleks! Pay attention!_ " Missy called, stepping out into the room and walking between the Daleks. The Doctor shook his head.

"Don't. Just don't," he begged softly, as if she could hear him. As if she would _actually_ listen even if she could. Her taunting was only going to get them both killed and, with them, his last ever chance.

" _You know what this is? This thing you're about to destroy? I'll tell you! It's the dog's unmentionables. And you know all about those, don't you?_ " She actually had the audacity to tickle a Dalek before moving on and up onto a platform. "T _his is a_ _TARDIS_ _. With this, you can go anywhere, do anything, kill anyone. With this, the Daleks can be more powerful than ever before. You just need one thing. Me. You need me. A Time Lady, to show you how it works. With this and with me, everything can be yours. And you can burn it all, for ever and ever and ever._ " She waited a moment for a response. " _Or would you rather just kill me?_ "

All the Daleks turned in unison to their leader, awaiting orders.

" _Maximum extermination._ "

With her natural flare, Missy disappeared into nothingness with a flash of her skeleton and the Doctor felt it like a blow to the chest. Part of him, a deep dark part of him, lamented the loss of an old friend. A much more vocal and pain stricken part of him screamed at the loss of the last lead to his wife. But then the Daleks turned to Clara and he saw a flash of Danni's hate filled eyes. She'd forgive him for running. There was even a chance that she'd forgive his cowardliness at his actions towards Davros in the past. There was no way she would forgive him leading Clara to her death.

He turned to Davros, shaking with teary eyes. "Please! Please, I'm begging you," he beseeched with a hoarse voice. "Please, please. Please, save Clara."

"I gave the Daleks life. I do not control them," Davros replied. The Doctor fell against the door, squeezing his eyes closed as he couldn't bear to watch anymore.

This was all his fault. He'd caused more death. He'd run away, like he had done all his life, and this was what it had brought him to. His friendship with Missy was long since dead, and his friendship with Clara may have ended on that imaginary volcano, but he'd never wished death on anyone.

Well, maybe not anyone…

As Davros taunted him, as Clara screamed as she was shot and killed, as the Daleks blew up the TARDIS and his home, there was one person he wished dead. There was one creature in the universe that had caused all this heartache and suffering.

However, since he was still a coward, he didn't take it out on himself. His blood boiled anew at the fact that Danni would never receive the TARDIS. It boiled because the Master just _had_ to have abused and become obsessed with the woman he loved. It boiled at the fact that if Clara had just _asked_ for their help, then Danni wouldn't have been taken in the first place. It boiled because if she had just asked, then Danni would have been by his side on that battlefield on Skaro and he would have helped the little boy Davros instead of leaving him.

And it boiled over that his last day was spent with the summation of his failure. Half a man in a tank, surrounded and proud of the killing machines he'd created to start and finish a war with the universe.

He rushed around the room, looking at all the spare parts and the discarded bits and bobs that the Daleks never seemed too keen on cleaning up. For a species that lived inside a tank they seemed to leave a lot a mess wherever they went. It was good, though, because it gave him stuff to work with. Davros continued to taunt him, but the anger inside him helped him tune it out easily. He just had to…

 _Ah ha_

He grabbed the discarded Dalek blaster and immediately pointed at the source of his fury, jabbing it into the back of his neck. Davros didn't seem fazed.

"Ancient. Inoperable," he dismissed. The Doctor moved around him, keeping it pointed directly at the other man. With a quick reconfiguration, it lit up, ready to fire.

"Genius," the Doctor corrected.

"You would threaten a dying man? Have I not suffered enough?" Davros asked tiredly.

"Get out," the Doctor snarled in reply, gun at the ready.

"I cannot leave this chamber. It sustains me."

The Doctor rushed over to the chamber, pushing through all the dangling wires. He didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore except him getting his revenge. If he was going to die, if he was going to leave Danielle alone in the universe, then he was going to take anything and everything he could with him. He'd make her proud. He'd take the Daleks with him.

" _Get out!"_

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara could feel the pressure in her head before she'd even fully woken up. It wasn't painful, but it sat funny and she knew it wasn't right. She was also aware that she was spinning before she had opened her eyes, and when she did she found she had to squint. Not only was the sun bright, but the surroundings that blurred together in her vision were just adding to her headache.

She slowly came to a stop, upside down, and facing Missy who was on a rock a little away from her. They seemed to be in a desert, and she was holding something in her hand.

Scratch that. She was _sharpening_ something in her hand.

"Consider the Doctor," Missy started without looking up. "The Doctor, trapped. The Doctor, alone." She glanced up at Clara with a grin on her face. "You all right there, dear?"

"Where are we?" Clara asked in reply as her spinning seemed to slow down. She was hanging upside down. Of course she was. "How did we..."

"Shh, now. Mummy's talking," Missy interrupted as she continued to sharpen the stick she was holding. "Okay, I'm going to tell you a story of the Doctor. It's classic. On the run. No TARDIS. No friends, no wife, no help. In other words," she looked up, "the Doctor, happy. It was a long time ago. Doesn't matter which face he was wearing, they're all the Doctor to me. So let's give it to the eyebrows."

"But the Daleks..." Clara tried again.

"Yes, I'm coming to that," Missy told her.

"Shouldn't we be, um? I don't want to say dead."

"Hush!" Missy scolded, pointing her knife at Clara before going back to her work. "He's travelling by teleporter. Unfortunately, his teleporter is out of power. Also unfortunate, he's being stalked by, oh, say about fifty android assassins? I may be rounding up."

She pressed her finger against the end of her newly sharpened stick and winced. "Ow."

She shook it off, going back to her story. "Fifty invisible, indestructible android assassins, all exclusively programmed to kill him. Surrounded. Outnumbered. Outgunned. And freeze. Nanoseconds to live. Four, I'd say, being generous. Now, my question is this. How did he survive?"

She had stood up, walking over to stand next to the dangling woman. She poked Clara with the tip of the stick, as if she had any choice but to pay attention. "Oh, come on, Clara! You know him. Consider the Doctor."

Clara did know him. She wasn't sure just how well she knew him anymore, but she knew how he worked. She just had to put the situation into a context where she knew him the best. So she kept Eyebrows, but she superimposed the woman they both had been fighting over, and to find.

The Doctor and Danni running away from android assassins? That sounded about right for them.

They would all fire at once, and Danni would gasp in surprise and horror. The Doctor would turn his back on them, closing around her as he went to take the shots himself…

No, he wouldn't. That was Eleven. Twelve wouldn't get himself to a point where he would die and leave her in danger. That was the Doctor that she knew. He'd work out how to get them _both_ out so he could continue to protect her. What did he have at his disposal? What could he use?

Her eyes shot open, despite not knowing she'd closed them, and she stared at Missy. "Where did he get that teleport thingy?"

"Oh, good, good," Missy praised, stepping a little bit away from her. Clara felt slightly safer with the stick away from her. "He stole one from an android."

"So, I'm guessing he uses the same energy as the android weapons, right?" Missy nodded her head, giving her a little bit more praise. "Okay, then. He uses the energy wave from the android weapons to recharge the teleport bracelet and at the exact moment he's supposed to disintegrate, he actually teleports." Her eyes widened as she realised how both she and Missy had escaped the Daleks. "Hang on, that's how you did it. That's how we escaped the Daleks!"

"I modified the same principle for our vortex manipulators, yes," Missy confirmed. "Blew them off, I'm afraid." She started pacing, ranting as she did. "But the Doctor, he, he improvised it. He must have got through several thousand calculations in the time it takes to fire up a disintegrator. Seriously, what a swot!"

"So the androids think he's dead and the Doctor escapes," Clara finished.

"No, he's the Doctor. He fell into a nest of vampire monkeys," Missy replied. "But that's another story!" She disappeared from view and Clara found herself suddenly, and rather painfully, falling to the ground.

Missy came back, staring down at her. "Why does the Doctor always survive?"

Clara sighed, coming to the end of her patience with all these stupid questions. "Because he's clever!" she snapped.

"Yes, but there's lots of clever dead people. I love killing clever clogs, they make the best faces." Clara had to agree there. She'd met some clever people, the Doctor had too. What made them all… well… why were they dead and the Doctor wasn't?

She jumped up. "Because he always assumes he's going to win," she realised. "He always knows there's a way to survive. He just has to go and find it."

"Yes," Missy said, pointing her stick at Clara. "Except this time, he made a will and threw himself a goodbye party. Now, if the Doctor assumes he's going to die, what happens then?"

Clara didn't like that thought. "We do."

Missy turned, looking out into the landscape and at the Dalek city they were quite far away from. " He's trapped at the heart of the Dalek empire. He's a prisoner of the creatures who hate him most in the universe. Between us and him is everything the deadliest race in all of history can throw at us. We, on the other hand, have a pointy stick." She looked down at the stick, then up at Clara. She had a grin on her face. "How do we start?"

Was she actually enjoying this?

"We assume we're going to win."

Missy's grin fell. "Oh," she replied, disappointed. "Pity, really. I was actually looking forward to punishing you for trying to kill my pet."

She started walking off without another word and it took a moment for Clara to realise that they were now leaving. Ignoring the thread, she jogged after Missy and fell by her side. "I have a question."

"I'm not surprised in the slightest," Missy replied. "I would recommend you ask them a lot. You humans are so behind on everything."

Clara ignored the dig. "The Doctor has given up. The Doctor is in a situation where he thinks he can't escape, but that's new. That came after we found him." Missy nodded as she listened along. "What I don't understand is why he still went along with it? How come he didn't just grab you, chuck you in the TARDIS and not let you go until you gave Danni back?"

Missy glanced at her. "Is that what you think he is? Some big, bad man who bullies his way to what he wants?" she asked curiously.

"No, he's desperate and running out of options," Clara corrected. "I thought that the moment he saw you he'd… well, he's rip you to shreds finding her."

Missy smiled, tutting her like she'd given a wrong answer to a really easy question. "Well, my dear, that's because he's clever, isn't it?" she reminded Clara. "Like I said, he can do several thousand calculations in a nano second or two. He took one look at me, went through every possibility and came up with the truth."

There was silence for a few moments while Clara waited for her to give the asnwer. She didn't. "Which is…"

Missy sighed in exasperation. "Does he always have to spell it out for you?" she taunted lightly. "How very tiresome."

She sped up slightly and Clara rolled her eyes before storming after her. "Missy!" she exclaimed. "What did he realise?"

Missy came to a stop, turning to face her. "That I can't take him to her," she snapped before looking slightly embarrassed about admitting it. "Because I have no idea where she is. I'm looking for her too."

Clara frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she went and escaped, didn't she?" Missy replied before shrugging. "Of course, he doesn't think that. He probably thinks I killed her or something gruesome, or perhaps he thinks I've forgotten where I put her. But it's why I came here. A last ditch attempt at looking for her." She set off again. "I really thought she'd show up to his last day, but obviously something bad must have happened to stop her. I'm rather disappointed in her, really. She used to be better than that."

Clara couldn't quite believe it. Her hope suddenly soared, a million different ideas all coming into her head before being pushed out by the thought that Danni was out there, away from Missy. Out there where the Doctor could find her. She was probably searching for him just as much as he had been searching for her. If they could just get to the Doctor then Missy could tell him herself and he would start fighting again.

They would find Danni again.

"You mean she's out there?" she exclaimed happily. Missy nodded.

"Oh, everyone's out there somewhere."

"You-You have to tell him!" Clara continued. "If he knows that she's searching for him, then he wouldn't be stuck in the middle of a bloody Dalek city." She jabbed her hand in the direction of the city for emphasis, because Missy _must_ have seen what she had done by keeping that from him. "Of course he's going to get himself killed if he thinks she's dead as well!"

"If he can't see what is in front of his face it just proves he's not paying attention to the bigger picture," Missy replied simply before starting back on her way. They did have a long way to go, after all.

Clara chased after her. "Then we should make him see it," she argued. "You want to save him don't you?"

"Of course I do," Missy snapped back. "You think I would be wandering towards certain death with you if I wasn't a little invested."

"Then _tell him_!" Clara insisted. "He won't believe me."

"No, I don't suppose he would anymore," Missy agreed. Clara growled in frustration.

"What is wrong with you?" she snapped. "You're just making this harder for everyone!"

Missy pointed to herself. "Insane evil genius," she reminded Clara. "If I tell him she's looking for him, then he'll go looking for her."

"Yes, that's the point!"

"Exactly!" Missy agreed. "If I tell him he'll go looking for her, and he'll find her. I want to find her find her before he can get his grubby old man hands on her." She turned to Clara. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to clean her? It was a nightmare."

Clara paused to close her eyes and take a deep breath to try and calm herself down. Arguing was only going to waste time, and breath, and maybe get herself killed. And, if anything, it would stop Missy helping even more. If that was even possible. Because she was being rather _bloody_ unhelpful.

"Alright, let's try something else," Clara declared. "You have no idea where she is at all?"

"Do you think I would be wasting time with you, my dear, if I did?" Missy countered. "She should have been here."

"Well, if she's not here, there where could she be?"

 _~0~0~0~_

There was a flash in the desert, and a woman fell down into the dirty sand, skidding with a very distinct lack of grace. She quickly jumped up, though, checking around to make sure she wasn't in immediate danger.

She wasn't, which was a first. She quickly brushed the dust off her clothes. "Does nowhere have a decent janitor service?" she murmured to herself. The whole outfit was new. She'd only bought it a few hours ago.

Well, not bought, borrowed.

Well, not borrowed, stolen.

Now that she was out of danger and no longer being followed, she took a moment to take in her surroundings. She was in a desert and it was rather hot. Maybe the leather jacket wasn't the best choice for this jump. Well, she hadn't exactly known what the weather was going to be like, did she? Plus, she pulled it off amazingly.

She ran his fingers through her hair as she quickly put it up into a ponytail to get it off her neck before she overheated. She then checked her vortex manipulator. She winced away as it sparked at her, then tentatively tried to see the screen again.

"Skaro," she read off. "Nice. Planet of death, just where you want to be." She chewed on her lip. It would be so easy to just type in different coordinates and try again. Well, it was easy to type the coordinates into the manipulator. Whether she would _actually_ get to her destination was still a work in progress.

"Alright, come along Danielle, your husband is in there somewhere," she said to rile herself up. "Obviously." She sighed. This was never going to be easy, was it? He couldn't have been on the planet of eternal free ice cream. No, he _had_ to be in the middle of the Daleks.

She started the long walk to the city. "Let's go save his arse."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Sorry for the late chapter, but I was at Disney World so I really wasn't going to get one up XD_

 _Also sorry for the bridging chapter, but it was just kinda how it went. We should have much better content next chapter, I promise!_

 _Reviews are always appreciated and horded like a dragon with gold XD_

 _ **Midnight** **Alley** \- Oh, definitely different!_

 _ **Quinnmarie** \- Thanks sweetie! Hope this gives a bit more info for you :p And I did, thanks!_

 _ **mlr96** \- Thanks sweetie! I love her too, she's cheeky XD_

 _ **Authora97** \- Oh, I think it's all good :D_

 _ **bored411** \- Hehe neither, I'm afraid! Hope this chapter wasn't too disappointing XD_

 _ **Guest** \- Yep, she's free!_

 _ **AGBreads** \- I hope I do it justice XD_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Thanks sweetie! There's a few influences in her, isn't there? XD_


	10. The Redemption of the Doctor

The Doctor wondered why he hadn't done this sooner. He didn't think he'd have much fun antagonising the Daleks as he was currently having, after all they usually just made him so incredibly angry, but now he'd decided that he was going to take them all with him he'd found himself having a grand old time.

He glided into the control room in Davros's chair, using the controls as if he'd been piloting the chair his entire life. He could almost feel the surprise at his appearance in the air as they all rolled slightly backwards from him. He took rather a large amount of amusement from it, especially cause he'd heard Davros's pleas for help as he'd headed down the hallway. They really hadn't been expecting him, had they?

"Admit it. You've all had this exact nightmare," he said before gliding in. It just cemented the notion that he really should have just tried one of those Segway things when he'd had a chance. "So, anyone for dodgems?"

He sped into the centre of the room, doing a little circle before turning to the large Dalek in the middle of the group. The Dalek Supreme, if his knowledge of the Daleks served him correctly.

Who was he kidding? He knew all there was to know about the Daleks. In fact, some would say he knew too much. Or they'd just compliment him on being so clever. Like Danielle. Who would have loved his sunglasses.

"Exterminate!" the Supreme Dalek commanded. The Doctor rolled his eyes as they all shot at him, wondering if they'd ever thought that it would make a difference. They were all quite obviously baffled when the light from their collective lasers disappeared and they found him absolutely fine in the chair, sipping on a cup of tea.

"Of course, the real question is; where did I get the cup of tea?" he said before raising his eyes to look at them all in disdain. "Answer? I'm the Doctor. Just accept it."

"You are unharmed," the Supreme Dalek stated as the Doctor put his teacup down.

He started spinning around so he could see every Dalek, so each of them could see how serious and in control he was. "Proposition," he started. "Davros is an insane, paranoid genius who has survived among several billion trigger-happy mini-tanks for centuries. Conclusion? I'm definitely having his chair."

"You cannot escape, Doctor," the Supreme Dalek reminded him. In response, the Doctor reached into the chair and pulled out his new Dalek gun.

"I'm guessing his personal forcefield only works in one direction," he said pointedly.

"The Doctor does not use weapons."

"Doesn't he?" the Doctor replied mockingly. "What about when his friends are dead? What about when his _wife_ is dead, eh?" He smirked as the beeping that echoed in the room sped up ever so slightly as he pointed the gun at as many Daleks as he could. "Ah, listen to your little hearts beat!"

He turned back to the Supreme Dalek. He was _really_ going to enjoy this. Since meeting Danni, he wanted nothing more than to die with her by his side. Before that, though, and especially during the Time War he'd hoped that he'd take as many Daleks with him as possible. It was looking like today was that day.

"Ask me what I want."

"Irrelevant. You will not prevail. You will not succeed," the Dalek Supreme told him.

"I've been at the heart of your empire for forty two minutes, and I own it, and I haven't even got out of my chair," the Doctor countered. "Ask me what I want."

"What do you want?"

He leant forward, turning on the transmitter on the chair. He wanted every single Dalek to know what he wanted. He wanted every single Dalek to know that they were destined to die. "Danielle Fielding."

It was a demand that came easily, and one that he knew was completely impossible. The Daleks weren't exactly hiding her from him, after all. It wasn't their style to let him zoom about in a chair while they had leverage over him. But he wasn't exactly looking for a reasonable demand. He wanted them to fail, he wanted them to push him over the edge. He wanted to kill them all and _finally_ win after losing for so long.

"I want Danielle Fielding," he told the planet. "Right now. You bring her here right now. You do that."

"We do not have Danielle Fielding," the Dalek Supreme replied. "She was not located. She is not in Dalek custody."

The Doctor knew this, of course. But it didn't stop the fire burning in his veins. It didn't stop the devastation that was overwhelming him, and it certainly didn't help his judgement.

"Wrong answer," he told them firmly before adjusting the gun. "Fine, bring me Clara Oswald," he demanded. "I promised I would get her home safe. Bring her to me unharmed, unhurt and alive."

"Your associate..."

"I saw what happened. I was there!" the Doctor interrupted, jabbing his gun at the Supreme Dalek. "And I'm hoping, for all of our sakes, that it was a trick."

"It was not a deception."

"Because if Clara Oswald is really dead, then you'd better be very, very careful how you tell me," he warned lowly, threateningly. "Because all the power Davros had is mine. Everything he had, I have. And I will _not_ let Danielle down again, not now. Not when I have nothing else to lose. Who's going to tell me that Clara Oswald is really dead?"

"Clara Oswald is not alive."

The Doctor glared at the Supreme Dalek for having the nerve to say that to him. His hopes of forgiveness fell away after that and he started taking stock of the Daleks around him. He needed to kill them all before they could do enough damage to the chair to kill him. Perhaps he could actually blow up the chair, that would cause a bit of damage, wouldn't it? Then again, that would only destroy the Daleks in the immediate vicinity. He wanted them all to burn with him.

" _Doctor._ "

The drawl of Davros's voice pulled the attention of every Dalek to the screen on the wall. The Doctor also turned to see the old, withered face staring out into the room. " _T_ _his urge for conquest. It is gratifying to see you learn."_

"Davros!" the Doctor greeted happily. He wanted the old man to see his creations burn. "You're up. Sorry, this seat's taken."

Davros almost smirked, showing off his metal teeth. " _Indeed. But not by you._ "

The next thing the Doctor knew, he was being bound up in snakes. Dozens upon dozens of hissing snakes slid up the chair, around his arms, around his neck.

" _You've met my Head of Personal Security, I think. Colony Sarff,_ " Davros told him as the snakes moved to cover his face. " _His agents are everywhere._ " The Doctor could only gasp as his was completely cut off from the outside world in a mass of scales and hisses.

 _~0~0~0~_

Listening to his voice echoing through the sewers was gut wrenching. Clara stared up at the ceiling, her eyes misting over as she listened to him demand for Danni to be returned to him. He sounded angry, but she knew better; he had crumbled. It was him hopelessly reaching out for a miracle that the universe wasn't going to grant him.

She wasn't even offended by how he seemed to only want her alive for Danni. She knew, deep down, that wasn't true at all. The reminder that Danni's last wish had been for him to keep her safe wasn't ignored, either.

Even Missy had paused to look up at his voice. She looked up at the ceiling with her own concerned look. "Listen to that; the Doctor without hope," she commented lowly. "Nobody's safe now. He'll burn everything. Us too."

Clara turned to Missy. She was getting pretty sick and tired of having to play along with her ridiculous game of fetch. "All of this could have been avoided if you'd just told him the truth," she snapped. "If he didn't think she was gone forever then we wouldn't be in this mess!"

For a moment, Missy almost looked guilty. Then she shrugged. "I'm always cleaning up his messes," she commented as she continued down the Dalek sewer. "This is no different."

"Yes, it is!" Clara shouted before storming after her. "This is your fault, your doing! You're the one who's caused all of this!"

"Like I said," Missy replied. "No different. We've been at this for centuries. It's just another game. See if we can get to him first before he burns us all."

Clara hated how blasé she sounded, but she also knew that there was no other choice than to continue following Missy into the depths of the city. Missy would be able to get her back to the Doctor before he did anything stupid. She really did hope they'd get there in time.

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni paused by one of the large metal walls that surrounded the Dalek city. So far she'd done a rather brilliant job of keeping herself off the Daleks radar, and she didn't have to do it for much longer. They were all on guard because of the Doctor but that just meant that their attention was elsewhere. She should have no problem sneaking into the middle of the city where she assumed the hospital was. Davros was apparently not in a good way.

She'd feel sorry for him, but she had better things to waste her feelings on. Some crusty old man with a fear of death and a penchant for bionic eyes was not one of them.

" _Danielle Fielding._ "

She looked up, surprised and suddenly alert at the sound of her own name. It took a nanosecond longer for her to register the Scottish accent, and then another one to relax. That was Theta. It was her husband.

She smiled softly to herself. He sounded just like she remembered.

" _I want Danielle Fielding,_ " he told the planet over some interplanetary Dalek PA system. " _Right now. You bring her here right now. You do that._ "

He sounded upset. She continued to listen as she looked for a way over the wall. Her hearts ached at the idea that Clara was dead, but she tried to keep hope. Nothing was ever what it seemed to be, she had come to find. This might have been one of those times.

She managed to scale up to the top of the wall, swinging her legs over before looking out into the city. The middle of the Dalek empire and she was about to break into it. This was what her life had become now. Perhaps a vacation was in order.

"Not long, Theta," she promised quietly before pushing herself over the edge.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _The room was dark, the air was still. In front of him was a blonde woman with tears in her eyes and anger on her face._

 _You do not love me,"_ _s_ _he bit out. "People who love each other do not just abandon them. They don't jump in their blue boxes and run away. The man I love would never have done that to me. But you don't. You think you do, but let me tell you something Doctor; you do not love me."_

" _You said you would always find me. But you left us both to cry."_

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor started, waking up in another dark room, although this time pale lighting did give him something to see by. He could feel the sorrow on his face and he hated it, no matter how much he needed to let himself feel it. Why didn't his plans ever go the way he wanted? Why couldn't he just die?

"I hope you are grateful," Davros drawled from his place by the only window in the room. "It wasn't easy to procure. And very nearly unique, of course." The Doctor leant forward, incredibly confused. "You should feel privileged." He looked around as Davros turned his chair around. "The only other chair on Skaro."

The Doctor looked down and saw that he was, in fact, sat on a metal chair. An actual chair on the planet of creatures enclosed in tanks. He placed his head in his hand. If he didn't know any better, he would have said that Davros had just tried to make a joke. As it was, the sound of his voice grated on his already frayed nerves.

Said nerves forced him to stand. "Don't get up," Davros told him.

The Doctor shot him a look. "You neither."

He headed to the door, determined to get out and continue his rampage through the Dalek empire. He ran his fingers across the seam of the door, trying to feel for anything that he might be able to exploit to open it.

"The chamber is sealed," Davros informed him. "And I believe you are not carrying your sonic device."

The Doctor let his hand drop and he walked away from the door. That was true. His glasses had been confiscated. But he couldn't sit still, he needed to move. He was already feeling that frustration building from being trapped in a place he really didn't want to be. Like an animal in cage, he needed to keep moving to let the energy out.

"I gave it up," he explained as he tried to find another means of escape. "Bad memories."

"I am dying, Doctor."

"You keep saying that, you keep not dying," the Doctor replied callously, walking past him to some of the controls to see if he could hack them. "Can you give it some welly? _Come on._ "

Davros ignored him. "And it is time for us to conclude our business together."

The Doctor scoffed. "We have no business."

"We have nothing but," Davros corrected. "Look again at the cables, Doctor." The Doctor let out a heavy, frustrated sigh. What was it with bad guys? They always toyed with their food.

He walked over, crouching down next to the platform before getting up again. What was he doing? He shouldn't have actually be doing what he was told. He was trying to escape, not help. He didn't help anymore. He was just too tired.

"Understand what they are. What they can do. Just step a little closer," Davros tempted. The Doctor couldn't help another little glance at the cables. They were interesting, in their own way. And horrifically disorganised. He and Danielle once spent an afternoon sorting out the cables in the entertainment room after he installed the 4D disc player. If he was in a better mood, he'd suggest some of those cable ties.

"They don't have much respect for you, do they?" he commented. He turned to Davros, expecting an answer but the old man looked confused. "Your kids," he clarified before walking over to another control. "Have you seen the state of this place?" He wiped his finger across it, dust gathering on his fingertip. "I mean, this is exactly where you dump a smelly old uncle slash family pet slash genius scientist who couldn't even invent legs. Seriously, how do your boys take it when everybody else has got two eyes?"

His cruel words felt nice and sharp, and he watched Davros take them with the patheticness of an old man who couldn't fight back. Davros didn't deserve mercy, he didn't deserve kindness. He created the Daleks, and was proud of it. He deserved all the hate that came his way.

Still, the Doctor knew that the words were only a way of distracting himself from actually looking at the machine. The control he'd wiped his finger over kept track of vital signs, alternating where it wasted energy keeping Davros alive.

Even Davros seemed to know this. "You know what it is, of course," he said of the machine.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor admitted. "It's a hyperspace relay, with some kind of a genetic component."

"I am connected to the life force of every Dalek on this planet. It is what has kept me alive. As their hearts beat, so does mine."

When it seemed like Davros couldn't reach a new low, he found another way to make the Doctor's stomach churn. "Ooo. Nice. Vampiring off your own creations, just to eke out your days. I'm surprised the Daleks allow it."

"Oh, they have no choice. My Daleks are afflicted with a genetic defect."

The Doctor paused in his pacing. "What defect?"

"Respect." Davros said the word quietly, like it was something to be ashamed of. For him, the Doctor guessed, it was. Only useful to keep a hold over them and to stop them should they decide to turn on him. It explained why they kept him alive all those years ago on the Cruible. And, if they'd turned on him, he always had a way to…

 _Oh_.

He looked at the cables as Davros grinned his sickly smile. "And now he sees it," he declared. "Now he understands. The cables, Doctor. Touch them." The Doctor reached out for them, hesitating just before his fingers brushed against them. It was so very tempting, wasn't it? "Imagine, to hold in your hand the heartbeat of every Dalek on Skaro. They send me life. Is it beyond the wit of a Time Lord to send them death? A little work and it could be done."

"Er, why would you be telling me this?"

"Genocide in a moment." Davros slowly glided towards the Doctor as he stepped back from the cables. "Such slaughter, not in self-defence. Not as a simple act of war. Genocide as a choice. Are you ready, Doctor? So many backs with a single knife."

It was so tempting. To rid the universe of the Daleks, all of them, forever. He could finally win the Time War. The Time Lords would be safe if they ever returned. Danielle, should she still be alive, would have one less monster to fear at night. His hearts could take it. He'd probably not survive it anyway. The cables were old, unkept. The universe could live with the knowledge that he'd died to save them all. He would rather them all remember one dead monster than live with a million more.

He pulled his hand to his chest, holding it close. No. He couldn't do it. He couldn't have her find out, for one moment, he had become that monster that she always protested against. He couldn't do it.

Coward, any day.

He let one hand drop to his side, but Davros caught it, raising it slowly towards the cables. "Are you ready to be a god?"

The Doctor continued to stare at the cables, letting Davros place his hand close to them but he didn't reach out. He couldn't do it. But perhaps… Yes, now _that_ was an idea…

"Why do you hesitate? No one would know." The Doctor turned around, looking away from the cables. Oh, that _was_ a clever idea.

"Your young wife is gone," Davros continued. "Clara Oswald is dead." The Doctor walked over to the door, hanging his head. Davros spun in his chair to face him. "Is this the conscience of the Doctor, or his shame? The shame that brought you here."

The Doctor stormed away. "There's no such thing as the Doctor," he snapped. "I'm just a bloke in a box, telling stories. And I didn't come here because I'm ashamed. A bit of shame never hurt anyone." He paused for a moment. "I came because you're sick and you asked," he explained. "And because my Danni-Girl would have come. I'm doing this in her memory, nothing more."

"You and I have very different memories of your wife, Doctor," Davros retorted. "I remember a young pale woman, with anger in her eyes and heart."

"Well, she never did like anyone being mean to me," the Doctor said with a little shrug. "She had very little time for it."

"Or perhaps that's just your excuse for her," Davros replied. "You make her kind and gentle so that she can be your conscience. She is your excuse."

"Oh, really? For what?" the Doctor asked him.

"For your compassion."

The Doctor shook his head, turning away as if he couldn't look at the man. He was sparing the Daleks from genocide at his hands, but he didn't feel like he was doing a good thing. The right thing, but not a good thing.

He turned back around. "I am anything but compassionate," he said snidely. "You've got me mixed up with someone who cares."

"It grows strong and fierce in you, like a cancer," Davros continued like he hadn't protested.

The Doctor shook his head, but felt himself relenting. "I hope so," he muttered.

"It will kill you in the end."

"I wouldn't die of anything else."

 _~0~0~0~_

And so they talked. Back and forth, snapping at each other from centuries of fighting. Davros wanted to know what was in the Confession Dial. The Doctor would take it to his grave. Everyone knew that a Time Lord's Confession Dial was for the eyes of the recipient and no one else. Davros tried, but the Doctor kept it close. Maybe Danielle would see it one day. Davros would _not_.

At least he got his sunglasses back. He'd need them later on in his newly formed plan, and he didn't half suit them. Now that he'd decided to stop the Daleks using their own need to survive, his own was slowly growing. Perhaps, just perhaps, he'd get out of this in one piece. It seemed a shame to give his death to such hate filled race.

"Why did you really leave Gallifrey?"

The Doctor turned from the window. "How long has it been, you and I?"

"Long enough," Davros offered, which was very much accurate. "Galaxies have burned."

"And now you ask me a personal question?" the Doctor replied incredulously.

"You have slaughtered billions of my children, as I have slaughtered billions of your race," Davros said. "We have exhausted the conventional means of communication." The Doctor whipped his glasses off as he stormed over. He bent down to look at him in the blue, glowing eye with a smug grin on his face.

"My people are alive," he taunted. "They didn't die. I brought them back. I found a way." His words filled him with hope. His people had been exterminated, but he'd found a way to save them. Missy had come to visit because Danielle was well and truly out of her reach; he could do the same again. Find a way to save her.

It was a brief, flickering flame inside of him, but he could finally feel it. After so long trying to find the strength, after giving up on himself, he could finally feel it. He was going to get out of this alive, and he was going to _save_ _his wife._

"Is this true?" Davros asked softly.

"Gallifrey is back in the sky," the Doctor confirmed. "I don't know where, I may never know. But Gallifrey is back and it is safe from both of us." There was a warning in his voice as he straightened again.

"Doctor, my most sincere congratulations."

The Doctor's brows furrowed. "I'm sorry?" he asked, confused.

"This is wonderful news. Beyond all hope. I congratulate you."

Davros's voice shook, like he was actually going to cry. The Doctor shook his head once, because this wasn't right. "Why are you saying that?"

"A man should have a race, a people, an allegiance," Davros explained. "A man should belong, Doctor. Believe me, please. I am happy for you. So happy."

The Doctor couldn't quite believe it. Davros really was going deep for whatever plan he had, because the Doctor could have sworn he was going to cry. He really was dying. It actually made him reconsider his plan, wonder if he really was doing to right thing by turning Davros's plan back onto the Daleks. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't all an act at all. He even made a joke! It all sat very strangely, and the compassion that Davros spoke of reared its ugly head. He felt _sorry_ for Davros.

It was always going to be his undoing.

He couldn't just let the old man die without seeing the sun one last time. The planet may not have been as beautiful as Davros claimed, but then again who was he to judge? Home was always beautiful to the person who called it such.

He plugged Davros back into the life support machine, but it wasn't going to be enough. He was going to die before the sun rose. Perhaps, just perhaps…

The Doctor made up his mind as Davros started crying. "Okay, don't ever tell anyone that I did this," he warned before giving his hand a wave, showing Davros the golden shine of his regeneration energy. "A little bit of regeneration energy. Probably cost me an arm or a leg somewhere down the line. Or I'll just be really little."

He rushed over, grabbing hold of two of the cables that hung from the ceiling and connected to Davros's chair. This was it. Either it would give them man just enough to see the sunrise, and he could prove to the universe and himself that he was capable of compassion. Or, it would go exactly how he had suspected and Davros would turn like he always did.

The Doctor hoped for the former. He hoped that, even in the darkest crevices of the universe, everyone was capable of redemption. If he was seriously going to start looking for Danielle again, then he needed to know that she would forgive his lapse of belief.

Unfortunately, as always was the case, it was the later. The moment he started to feed that little bit of regeneration energy he felt the snakes slither onto his arms, binding around his wrists and holding him firmly in place.

Across the room Davros cackled in victory. "Hold him firm, Colony Sarff. He is precious to us now." The Doctor fell to his knees, crying out in pain.

"What are you doing?!"

"Regeneration energy. The ancient magic of the Time Lords. I thought I would have to tear you apart to take it from you but, as always, your compassion is your downfall." Davros straightened in his chair, the strength returning to his broken and tired body. "You have opened your veins of your own free will, and all Daleks shall drink the blood of Gallifrey. They shall rise stronger than ever."

It burnt, so deep and so hot. He had been expecting it, but that didn't mean that it felt any better to have his regeneration energy ripped out of him. He knew it wasn't going to be much longer. He knew Missy wasn't dead – like she would allow herself to die at the hands of the Daleks – and would be along to save him eventually

What worried him was the dark part of him. The one that was still fighting the will to carry on, to succeed, to struggle through the torment of heading to the deepest recesses of the universe and seeing what could be happening to her because he had failed. That dark part of him didn't need all his regeneration energy. He didn't want to regenerate again.

"There was a prophecy, Doctor, on your own world," Davros continued, tormenting him as was always the way. "It spoke of a hybrid creature. Two great warrior races forced together to create a warrior greater than either. Is that what you ran from, Doctor? Your part in the coming of the hybrid? Half Dalek, half Time Lord?"

The Doctor shook his head, acting the part out as best he could. He knew the prophecy well, even if he never spoke of it. He hoped this wasn't the start of it. It can't have been.

"Stop!" he begged, sobbing out of pain he couldn't hold in anymore.

Then there was gunfire. Four shots and suddenly the pain gave way. He fell to the floor, unconscious and the woman pointed her gun straight at Davros. "Ah, ah, ah," she said in warning and he made to move forward. "Don't make me push you out of the window, Granddad."

"Who are you?" Davros asked. She shot him a look, one that said she was very disappointed with the stupid question, before she bent down next to the Doctor.

She took a moment to look him over, a soft smile appearing on her face before she reached forward. "Wakey wakey, sleepy head," she called teasingly. "Now is not the time for a nap."

The Doctor jolted away, moving into a sitting position with a gasp. He'd expected Missy, so he stared at the new woman in utter confusion. She was looking at him kindly, in fact he'd probably say she was utterly relieved to see him okay. Her brown hair, jacket and clothes all reminded him a little too much of Jack, though, which brought his mind straight to Danielle.

"Who are you?" he demanded straight away.

Her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and she stood up from the crouch she was in. "You're welcome," she replied shortly, like his lack of appreciation was bothersome.

"Thank you?" he said slowly, and the annoyance fell from her face. "Who are you?"

She didn't have a chance to answer, though, as Missy burst in through the now open door. She was wielding a Dalek gun, ready to attack, and looked positively disappointed that it was no longer needed.

The other woman, however, looked pretty irritated that she'd come in. "Oh, it's you," she snapped. "I should have known you'd be following him around like a dog with a bone."

Missy lowered the gun. "That's the last time I come and try to save you."

"Nobody wants you saving them," the woman retorted. The Doctor immediately liked her a little more just for the hatred she was sending Missy's way. "We were fine until you came along..."

"Oh, you are not fine," Davros said gleefully as the Doctor slowly stood. He'd thank her properly later. Give her a lift off this godforsaken planet, perhaps. "Thanks to you, Doctor, my creations shall grow to yet greater supremacy, and my own life is prolonged. This is the final defeat of the Time Lords. Have you nothing to say, Doctor?"

He hopped down off the platform. "Three." The three other occupants of the room watched as he rushed over and grabbed his Confession Dial. He slipped it into his pocket.

"Do you understand what has happened?" Davros asked him. "Hear my children sing."

"Two."

"Oh, I know that face," both the woman and Missy spoke in unison. The woman glared at Missy, cementing her place as his new friend, whilst Missy winked at her.

"All praise Davros, creator and saviour of the Daleks!" Davros finished. The Doctor didn't pay attention, he let the old man have his moment. He brushed the dust off his shoulders before glancing at the new woman. She looked impressed just at the sight of him. He'd missed that. Perhaps this, fixing his mistake, would finally give him the want to carry on. New blood would keep his hope burning, wouldn't it? Wasn't that what companions were for?

He had to find out her name.

"One."

The whole city shook around them, the sound of concrete cracking and metal moving just hinting at the severity of what was happening. "What is that? What's happening?"

"I knew exactly what you were doing, and I let you do it," the Doctor told him. "You transmitted regeneration energy into every Dalek on this planet. Every single one."

"What have you done?"

"One word. Er, no, two words, actually. First word, moron."

The woman snorted in laughter and he glanced over his shoulder at her. She looked amused, and not a bit frightened. Or happy, for that matter. Her face looked amused, but there was nothing else to tell him how she was feeling. Very closed off. That might have been an improvement on the overly-emotional Clara.

Who he still had to find. Missy was alive, that meant Clara was too. He'd pick her up again and they'd start their search anew for his wife. Sure, he'd left a child crying, but it was Davros. Danni would forgive him.

Right?

"Second word," he continued like his inner struggle didn't exist. " _S_ _ewers._ "

Davros quickly pressed on the buttons on his chair, seeing the damage that the Doctor had inflicted upon the planet. "No. This cannot be correct. How can this be?"

"Generations of Daleks just woke up very cross, and they are coming up the pipes. Or to put it another way, bye!" On his way to the door he pointed at the woman, clicking his fingers. "You. With me."

He disappeared but the woman nor Missy followed him. Missy, instead, walked up the Davros and gave him a little bow of respect. "Can I just say, it's been an absolute pleasure to finally meet you?" She reached out, prodded his bionic eye, then headed to the door.

The woman grabbed her arm. "Where is it?" she hissed.

"Where's what?" Missy asked in return, faking her ignorance.

"You know exactly what," the woman snapped in return. "Give it to me. Now."

Missy sighed heavily then reached into her dress. She pulled out a golden chain and placed it in the woman's hand with the attitude of a child made to give over their toy. "He's not going to notice it was missing," she pointed out. "He didn't even recognise you. What makes you think he wants you?"

The woman slipped the chain over her head, tucking it into her top. "Because he told _me_ to go with him, not you" she said bluntly before turning, following the Doctor down the hall. She had to jog to catch up with him, but he was already staring down a Dalek when she did.

"This city is about to be sucked into the ground. Your own sewer is about to consume you," he was saying angrily. "There's no way you can win, there is nothing you can do, so just tell me, where is Clara Oswald?"

"I am a Dalek," the Dalek replied, slowly gliding towards him.

"Yes, you're a Dalek," the Doctor retorted. "Where is Clara?"

"I am a Dalek."

"I don't think you're going to get another answer..." the woman started.

"Yes, I will," he snapped and she held her hands up in surrender, pressing her lips together to show she wasn't going to question him. He turned back to the Dalek. "I know that you're a Dalek. Where is Clara Oswald?"

The Dalek came to a stop in front of the Doctor, gun not raised, not firing, not attacking. "I am a Dalek! I am a Dalek!"

"Doctor, stop!" Missy appeared with her Dalek gun. She held it pointed at the Dalek for a moment before realising it wasn't attacking. She lowered it, looking at it with a thoughtful frown. "It's you, isn't it? I mean, no offence, you all look alike, but it is it is you?"

"Affirmative," the Dalek replied. It moved closer to her but again didn't shoot.

Missy raised her gun back up, pointing it at the Dalek. "Clara's dead, Doctor," she told him solemnly. "This is the one that killed her."

The Dalek's head quickly swivelled to the look at the Doctor. "Do not listen to her. I am a Dalek, I am a Dalek!" it protested.

"I got her out of the city, but this one caught us and shot her down. There was nothing I could do, I'm afraid." Missy sounded apologetic and the Dalek started wheeling backwards and forwards, like it was panicking.

"I am a Dalek!"

"She ran,"Missy continued. "She screamed. I'm so glad you didn't have to see that."

The woman snorted as the Dalek continued to protest that it was, in fact, a Dalek. "Bullshit," she stated loudly.

Missy looked at her, offended. "I'm sorry?"

The woman shot her a look of disbelief. The Doctor frowned. While most people, including himself, had a reason to dislike Missy, the hatred was rather intriguing. What had happened between them?

"Like you would keep that to yourself," the woman retorted.

"I didn't want to have to break it to him…" Missy started. The woman held up a hand to stop her talking.

"You know, you can say whatever you like, but all I am hearing is bullshit," she said firmly. "If Clara was really dead, then you would have loved to see him watch it. That's just what you're like." She turned to the Doctor. "Clara's not dead."

"Why should I believe you?" the Doctor asked, suspicious of everyone at this point. "Why should I even… even trust you?"

"Beyond the fact that I just saved your life?" she asked before sighing. "It's either me or her, isn't it? They're your choices right now. Believe she's dead, or believe she's not."

The Doctor _really_ wanted to believe she was alive. Not just because of Danni, but because she had been his friend once. He may never have admitted it out loud, but he would never want her to get hurt. And this woman in front of him, who had a stern face but soft eyes, made him really want to believe her.

"Who are you?" he asked her. "Have we met before?"

"Evidently not," she bit, as if she was annoyed he wasn't taking her at her word. He felt almost sorry for her. He met people out of order all the time. He remembered how horrid that was.

It also meant that she probably couldn't be his new companion. That was a shame.

The woman walked over to the Dalek, bending at the waist so she could look it in the eyestalk. "I know Missy," she told the Dalek. "I know her _really_ well. But the one thing I know best about her is that nothing is as it seems. Daleks work on telepathic energy. If you want out, then you have to really want to get out. Open up the case." She straightened, raising her gun which had never left her hand to point it at the Dalek's eyestalk. "Or I'll kill you. Simple as, really, isn't it?"

The Dalek backed away slightly. "Mercy. Mercy," it begged her and she lowered her gun slightly. All three of them stared at the Dalek in mild surprise.

"You shouldn't be able to say that," the Doctor told it with furrowed brows.

"Mercy!" the Dalek repeated.

"That word shouldn't exist in your vocabulary. How did Davros teach you to say that?" He frowned slightly. "Why aren't you trying to kill me?"

"Mercy," the Dalek repeated again and the woman let her arm drop back to her side. "I show mercy."

It sounded like it was in pain. Each word came out sharply, but slowly, like it was against every single thing inside of its programming to say it.

The woman smiled softly. "I knew it," she said. "Think open," she told the Dalek. "Everything a Dalek does is a thought command. Think open."

The Doctor could only stare as the casing slowly opened, revealing a crying and shaking Clara Oswald. He rushed over to help her out.

The woman turned to Missy, a smirk on her face. "How are you going to get out of this one?" she asked.

With a wink, Missy turned and fled down the hallway. The Doctor sharply turned around. " _Missy!"_

"No, no, Doctor," Clara quickly said, gulping slightly as she tried to calm down. "Missy… Missy said Danni had escaped. She doesn't know where she is."

"She's not dead?" the Doctor asked her. Clara shook her head the moment the Doctor unplugged her from the case.

"She's not dead."

The woman quickly jogged to their side. "We need to go," she told them both. "The Daleks are rising, we'll get killed."

"Sorry, what?" Clara asked as she looked to the Doctor for an answer. "What's going on? Who is she?"

"No matter," he dismissed. He turned to the woman. "How did you know she was in there?"

The woman smiled sardonically. "It's not the first time Missy has locked someone in a robot," she replied.

That didn't answer anything. Unfortunately they didn't have a lot of time. "I have a lot of questions," the Doctor told her.

The woman grinned. "Usually," she agreed. He frowned at the obvious flirt, but he found himself already moving before he could ask her why she was doing it. He hoped it didn't reflect on their future together. He hoped it didn't mean that he got over Danni.

His face hardened. That would never happen.

The planet continued to shudder as they entered the control room where the Dalek Supreme was still stood. The Doctor quickly looked around before turning to Clara.

"Where was the TARDIS?" he asked her. "It was over there somewhere, wasn't it?"

"What is happening? Explain! Explain!" the Dalek Supreme demanded.

"Dalek Supreme, your sewers are revolting," the Doctor explained. The woman snorted. He turned to her, seeing the amusement on her face. "Get it?"

She nodded. "Puntastic," she praised, much to Clara's bewilderment. The room shook again and they all dodged the falling ceiling.

"You will assist, or you will be exterminated."

"Oh, well, go on, then. Exterminate away," the Doctor encouraged. Clara protested, but the Daleks did as he said. Clara tried to dodge the bolts but slowly straightened as they bounced away from them, hitting the walls and doing more damage to the building, but not to them.

"Oops, sorry. TARDIS force field is still here. We get in," he motioned to the trio, "you don't."

"The TARDIS has been destroyed!"

"Ah, don't be silly, of course it hasn't," the Doctor dismissed. "It just redistributed itself for a moment. Hostile Action Dispersal System. I'll give it a quick blast from my sonic, and the real time envelope will reassemble right here."

Clara leant in a little closer. Why did he always have to antagonise the bad guys? "Doctor, you don't have your screwdriver," she reminded in a low voice.

"Oh, yeah, I'm over screwdrivers. They spoil the line of your jacket," he explained. "These days, I'm all about wearable technology."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the sunglasses he had been wearing back in the past. Her eyebrows raised as he put them on. "No! No? Seriously?" she asked in disbelief.

He turned to look at the other woman, who was now actually grinning. "I like them," she told him before he'd even thought of asking her.

Still, it made him grin as he touched his finger to the top of the frame. Around them, the air began moving, building up into larger and larger particles of blue, forming the TARDIS around them all.

Clara grinned to herself. She wasn't sure what had happened with Davros, but she knew one thing.

The Doctor was back.

 _~0~0~0~_

Watching the city below them disintegrate was a highly conflicting experience. On one hand, the Daleks were awful creatures and to let them live would mean that the blood of all they killed was on their hands. On the other, though, the Doctor never liked to see the death of so many. Genocide was never a good answer.

The three heroes stood next to each other; the Doctor, then Clara, and then their new friend. The woman who Missy seemed to have expected to be there, even though only the Doctor could have even imagined where they'd been brought. It was never a good sign that someone would work with Missy, but at least she hadn't tried to save her.

Clara glanced up at her friend. He would barely look at her, and she couldn't blame him. However, she was glad he was still here. She'd seen him give up all hope but now that had returned.

"She's out there, somewhere," Clara commented and he in turned looked down at her. "Danni," she clarified. "Missy said that she'd escaped. That must mean that you find her, right?"

The Doctor didn't reply. Clara was right; Missy would have never left Danielle alone for so long. He had known that the moment she had appeared with Clara back at the castle. He had thought the worst, thinking that his wife was dead or lost forever, and it had broken him. But his newly revived sense of hope gave him an even better option to believe.

Missy wouldn't have lied if she'd said that his wife had escaped. There was no benefit to it, nothing that would keep the couple apart. But, right now, he couldn't quite allow him to let the joy overwhelm him. It just meant that she was out there, without him.

"It doesn't make sense," he replied instead.

Clara frowned. "What doesn't?"

"When you were in the Dalek, you made it say mercy," he explained with that thoughtful frown of his. The one where he couldn't quite believe that he didn't understand, and how Clara had missed it. "It shouldn't have understood the concept, it shouldn't have been able to say it. How did a tiny piece of mercy get into the DNA of the Daleks?"

She watched the frown slowly disappear as his eyes widened. Something must have injected that concept into the Daleks, and that something must have been Davros. Which meant, at some point, a little bit of mercy must have been injected into Davros.

And he knew just where.

He turned, clutching the Dalek gun Missy had left behind tightly as he ran back to the TARDIS, leaving Clara stood on the ridge.

"Doctor?" she called after him, but he didn't wait and he didn't reply. He dove into the TARDIS and, before she could move, it had disappeared.

Clara sighed. "Great," she murmured before turning to the new woman. She hadn't turned from looking out at the city. Working with Missy, Clara guessed she was used to odd behaviour because it didn't bother her as much as she should have been. "He'll be back," she replied, unsure of why she was reassuring the other woman. "He always does that, but he always comes back."

She didn't reply. It was a little unnerving, and Clara shifted on the spot. "I'm sure the Doctor will drop you off somewhere though." Clara told her, again to no reply. Clara tried again, though, because what else did she have to do? "What's your name?"

The woman finally reacted. Her lip turned up into a small smirk, but she didn't turn away from the sight in front of her. "It's strange, watching a city burn, isn't it?" she commented. Clara nodded slowly.

"I guess so," she replied. "I can't say I have had much experience in it."

"I have," the woman replied like she was talking about the weather. "It never sits right, no matter what the cause. All that death, even Dalek death, always is so horrid."

The woman sighed. "I have a couple of names," she explained to Clara. "Most people, though, know me as the Time Child."

Clara's eyes widened, and suddenly all she could do was stare at the woman. No blonde hair, no glasses. Her breath caught, and her heart hammered in her chest.

"What?" she whispered, like she couldn't quite believe it. The woman nodded, and finally looked at her. "Danni?"

The woman's smirk turned into a small smile. "Hello, sweetie," she replied softly.

Clara had so many questions. What was she doing on Skaro? Why hadn't she said something sooner? When had she regenerated? How the Doctor find her and not realise who she was?

But she didn't ask them. Her eyes, instead, filled with tears and she chucked her arms around her. "Danni!" she exclaimed. The woman didn't response straight away, but slowly she patted Clara on the back.

"Hi, Clara," she murmured softly in reply. Clara quickly let her go, looking over her as she cried.

"I-I don't understand," she rambled. "Missy said that you were gone, what are you doing here?"

Danni shrugged. "I escaped," she offered. "And I ran, and this is where I ended up."

"But how did you even find us?" Clara asked. "We've been searching, we've been everywhere. The Doctor barely stops, and when he did…" Her eyes lit up. "The Doctor! He's going to be so happy!"

As if he heard them, the TARDIS started to reappear with the wheezing that always signalled that the Doctor was approaching.

Danni shook her head. "He never did take the breaks off," she commented. Clara chuckled and then, unable to contain her overwhelming joy, pulled Danni in for another hug.

"Always with the hugging," the Doctor commented as he stepped out. Clara quickly jumped off Danni and turned to look at him. He frowned at her big, bright eyes. "What is it?" he asked. "Why are you crying? Stop it."

Clara ignored his words and nudged the woman next to her. "Go on, tell him," she encouraged. The woman, on the other hand, didn't say anything. She just held her hands in front of her and looked down at the ground, like she was shy, or ashamed.

Clara frowned. "Go on," she repeated. The Doctor quickly made his way up the little hill to stand in front of them, observing the very uncomfortable woman.

"Whatever it is, I can help," he told her. "You saved me so I can save you."

"I don't understand," Clara admitted bluntly, her eyes never leaving the woman. "He'll be happy. He'll want to know. He's been searching for so long."

The Doctor's hearts skipped a beat, and all of his reassurances fell away to urgency. "Do- Do you know where she is?" he demanded. "My wife, my Danielle. Where is she?"

He reached out to grab her, but the woman flinched away, eyes wide as she stared at him. He pulled his hand back slowly. She had been quite fearless when faced with Daleks and their creator, but maybe it had all been an act.

"She's alone, and she's scared," he explained as gently as he could. "Please, if you know where she is, please tell me. I'll give you whatever you want, I'll take you wherever you wish to go. Please, tell me where she is." The woman didn't move again, just pressed her lips together and he could feel himself shaking. "She's- She's about this high," he motioned next to himself, "with blonde hair, and glasses, and the happiest smile you have ever seen. You can't miss her."

The woman nodded, then stepped forward. "You have, though, right?" she asked quietly, looking him over to make sure he was telling the truth. Perhaps she did know Danielle, perhaps they were friends. "You've missed her?"

He nodded. "Always," he instantly replied. "And as deeply as you could only hope to imagine. Please, tell me where she is."

She nodded again, and her hand reached out. For a moment she hesitated, and then her fingers brushed against his temple.

His knees almost buckled, and everything around him faded into nothing. He didn't reach out to grab her hand, to stop her from moving away, he just stared with absolute relief, and disbelief, and hurt and happiness at the woman stood before him.

She could see the question in his eyes, and her mouth moved for a moment in silent words as she worked out what she wanted to say. "I thought, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me," she explained quietly.

He nodded slowly, barely hearing her words at all. His eyes ran over her again and again, spotting everything little part of her that was different. He never suspected, why didn't he suspect?

His lips twitched. It was because she was taller. She was always so short.

"Clara, get in the TARDIS," he told her firmly. The teacher started, completely taking aback by being addressed, but quickly nodded when she pulled herself together.

She reached out as walked passed, rubbing Danni's arm gently before leaving them alone. They needed this time, as much as it broke her heart to have to leave Danni so quickly. They'd get their time together, though. She could wait.

They didn't say a word until they both heard the TARDIS door shut behind them. The Doctor didn't dare reach out in case she disappeared from in front of him.

"You regenerated?" he asked slowly and she nodded.

"She killed me," she answered, simply and to the point.

The Doctor couldn't handle it. She'd died. She'd died and he wasn't there to comfort her, to reassure her, to be the first face that she saw. He never got to say goodbye, she never got to say goodbye. His beautiful, kind, wonderful wife had died and he hadn't stopped it.

And now she was stood in front of him, with long brown hair and no expression on her face. His Danielle had been so expressive. What had happened to make the change so drastic?

He knew what. Missy had done this to her. Two regenerations that she had infected. The first bore the image of the man who had violated her, the second… well, actually, she looked an awful lot like Jack, if he was honest. No, this time the scars were deeper. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Those dark details that he had missed, he wanted to know each and every one so he could make them right again.

But, that was for later. His happiness, his joy, his love for the woman in front of him overflowed and he fell to his knees on the dusty ground. It jarred, but he didn't care as he looked up at her.

"I'm sorry," he told her, his conviction causing his voice to break. "I'm sorry that I didn't find you, I'm sorry that she got you when I promised not to let her. I'm sorry, I let you down."

She stared down at him and for a moment he wondered if she was going to say anything at all, or just turn and walk away from him. There was barely any reaction, nothing to tell him that she was furious or forgiving. His mouth felt incredibly dry, and he couldn't help but lick his lips.

Then she slowly knelt down in front of him. Slower than he had fallen, she'd done it purposefully and gently, with a grace that held his attention completely. She was still smaller than him, so he had to look slightly downwards to meet her eyes. He realised they were shining.

A small, tentative smile joined the tears and after another moment of hestitation, she hugged him.

He quickly wrapped her up, pulling her close, and tight as she shook but made no sound. He squeezed his eyes together, blocking out his own tears and everything else that wasn't her. His hearts sang, his skin tingled, his smile didn't fade.

"I tried," she whispered to him, her voice thick but she still didn't cry as she held onto him tightly. "I tried to find you. I ran so far, Doctor…"

He shushed her gently, not commenting at all on the way she didn't use his name. "You ran perfectly," he promised. He pulled back, meeting her gaze and giving her the biggest smile he could. "You did so well, my Danielle." He reached out, cupping her face with one hand, stroking his thumb over new skin. "Look at you," he breathed, absolutely amazed just to even see her again. "My Danni-Girl."

Her small smile sat perfectly on her face. He leant forward and placed a kiss on her forehead, feeling her twitch underneath the touch. He flared with unbridled anger for a moment at what made her flinch at every touch, but he ignored it for the moment. "Would you like a ride in my TARDIS?" he asked. "It can go anywhere in time and space, and she's waiting."

She giggled wetly, and then nodded. "That sounds wonderful," she accepted. He helped her off the floor, but let her hand fall to her side instead of holding on like he wanted to. "I've been travelling by space hopper for too long, now."

He frowned, glancing at her wrist. There was a vortex manipulator sat on it, a damaged one at that. The leather work was fraying, and marked with burn marks. He dreaded to think what the internal hardware was like.

"That's no way to travel," he agreed. Neither of them moved, her hand still in his. He was so afraid that she'd disappear that he didn't want to risk taking one step away from her. He was allowed the odd irrational fear, now, but he could feel the warmth of her skin against his. "I should have known it was you," he commented and she nodded.

"Yes, you should have," she replied cheekily. "But what particular thing tipped you off?"

"You were annoyed I didn't use my manners," he explained, giving her a gentle tug. They started walking towards the TARDIS, hand in hand. "I almost died and I didn't say 'thank you'."

"Manners cost nothing," she told him. "Maybe if someone had taught Davros some manners then all of this," she waved in the direction of the burning city, "could have been avoided."

He laughed, delighted at her strange logic. He could listen to it for hours. Her indifference at the Dalek city slowly crumbling would have worried him at one point, but he was too happy to care. It was only Daleks, after all. She was his Danni-Girl.

"You're blaming the Daleks on bad manners?"

"No," she started before shaking her head. "Actually, you know what? They didn't exactly come from good manners, did they?"

 _~0~0~0~_

 _And they're back together again! More next chapter, obviously, but I hope you enjoyed this little taste!_

 _Reviews!_

 _ **Midnight** **Alley** \- Here you go! Hope you liked it :D_

 _ **whitedwarf** \- Thanks, sweetie! I think, had he been in a better state of mind, he would have probably had more of a go at her. I hope you still like the new Danni, though XD_

 _ **bored411** \- She is, isn't she? Hope you like this :D_

 _ **Iris-Reid92** \- She did! :D_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- I'm glad you liked it! Yep, he remembers her well XD _

_**TheSlayerofGallifrey** \- And here we are :D_

 _ **silverhawk88** \- And you shall receive :D_

 _ **Authora97** \- Danni makes quite the impression xD_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie! It was a bit too much filler for me, but I'm glad you enjoyed it :)_


	11. Back Again

For a companion that didn't travel full time on the TARDIS, Clara's bedroom was like a second home to her. She'd spend days in the blue box while only hours would pass at home, so she needed somewhere to sleep. For a while she'd insisted that she went back to sleep after only one adventure, but the years had changed that.

Years? Had it really been years?

She supposed it had, really. Longer for her than the rest of the world, at any rate. She was sure all those extra days and weeks would have added up. She felt older. She'd been very young and naive when she'd first met the Doctor and Danni. A lot had happened since then. She'd learnt a lot. She'd lost a lot.

Her bedroom had changed since she'd first found it. Originally it had been very plain, with creams and whites and soft tones that indicated that it was just a spare room. It had been a dig at her by the TARDIS, calling her a spare. Something temporary.

Now, though, it reflected her bedroom at home much better. It felt warm and inviting whilst staying away from the clutter that she secretly hid in the wardrobe. She really liked it. When they had been searching for Danni she had turned to it as a respite from the worry and the agony at losing her own Danny. It had helped her to have a place away from everyone's sympathies. She wasn't sure if she'd have survived without it.

Clara looked at the small suitcase that sat at the foot of the bed, full of clothes and little trinkets. What was she going to do without it?

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor hadn't wanted to let go of Danni's hand, but he'd had not choice. The moment the door closed behind them she'd slipped out of his grasp. It wasn't all bad, though. They'd escaped the Dalek city in the TARDIS, but she'd not had a chance to appreciate being back home. She slowly walked up to the console, her fingertips dragging on the top of the railings until she could no longer reach it. Her head tilted back slightly as she looked up at the time rotor, following it up to the ceiling. He watched her walk around, a small little smile on her face as she took the TARDIS in. The TARDIS had automatically brightened when she'd stepped in. He hadn't noticed it the first time. He did now.

He and Clara just watched her, barely breathing, frozen in their respective spots. It was if they were both scared to move in case they startled her. Like she was a baby deer in the forest and they were spying on her.

When she reached the end of the circle, she reached out, tracing her fingers over the controls. She was examining everything once again, he realised. She was replacing the memories she had lost. How _long_ had it been for her?

She reached out and flipped a switch, and the time rotor sparked into life. He watched, for a moment, as the soft smile broke out into the happiest of grins, before quickly falling back. She was scared to show she was happy.

They all stood in silence. He wasn't sure what to say, Clara seemed to be exactly the same, and Danni was reacclimatising to being home again. There were so many things he wanted to know that a starting point seemed impossible to find.

Part of him didn't even want to know the details. She'd died without him. Missy had killed her, which blew apart every belief he'd had about what had happened between his wife and the other Time Lady. What had happened? Where had they been? How had she survived? What other things had Missy put her through?

Danni turned her head slightly, looking at him. Her lips pressed together for a moment. Once again she was taking a moment to work out her words. "You said you had a lot of questions," she reminded him gently.

He could have laughed. He could have cried. He'd had no idea how much that statement would have rang true. He'd just thought she was a sassy fighter of a woman. He'd never have thought it would have gone deeper than that.

He took a step towards her, almost expecting her to take a step back. Thankfully she didn't. She just looked at him expectantly, waiting patiently as he tried to work out what, exactly he wanted to ask her first.

"What happened?" he settled on. It was such a broad question that she could choose how much she wanted to answer. She looked like she had almost been expecting it, and nodded to herself.

Her mouth worked around the words before she started. "When we were in 3W, you and Clara walked off to talk to… to talk to Danny Pink," she said. "Missy took me then. I woke up in the bedroom, chained to the bed and that's where she killed me."

The Doctor's hands clenched in pure anger at his sides. She may have sounded like she was just listing off information, but he knew personally the pain behind regeneration. He never wanted for her to go through it on her own. She must have been terrified. His Danni never did well with being truly scared.

Maybe she did now. He didn't know, and that broke his hearts as well.

"I wasn't allowed out of the bedroom for a long time," she continued. "Then I wasn't allowed out of the building. Then she started taking me places. She slaved a vortex manipulator to her own. She took me to Messaline, to the Jenny exhibit when we had our photo taken. Then there was the Space Titanic, when you were Ten. Umm..." Her brows furrowed. "There was a few when you were Eleven. She even took me back to see Clara before she'd met us."

Clara took a step forward, finally joining in the conversation. "When was that?" she asked. "I don't remember seeing you."

"I gave you the TARDIS's phone number," Danni explained with a little shrug. "I wasn't allowed to tell you. The whole building was rigged to blow up if I did."

Clara felt rather unsettled to know that, at some point, she had been in a building that had been rigged to explode at any point. However, it wasn't her main focus. "You were the woman in the shop?" she exclaimed, horrified. "I-I didn't realise." She turned to the Doctor. "I didn't know," she promised. "If I had, I would have said something." She turned back to Danni. "I'm so sorry. If I'd known, I would have said something!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I knew it was her," he told Clara shortly.

"And you didn't say anything?" Clara asked, surprised. "We could have gone back!"

"You don't think I tried that?" he snapped back. "Let her finish."

Clara grimaced sheepishly. Of course he would have tried. And there she went again, taking over a situation that wasn't about her. It was so ingrained in her to be in charge she let it overrule her sometimes. "Sorry," she said softly, smiling at Danni. "Go on."

"It's okay," Danni replied. "Well, um…" She shuffled slightly on the spot, like she wanted to turn away. "Well, after a few attempts to escape, I finally managed it. I spent a long while just running, trying to make sure she couldn't find me, then I set about looking for you. I acquired a manipulator but the time circuits were fried. I tried to fix them, but it didn't really work. When I heard Davros was looking for you, I came here and… well," she shrugged. "That's it, really."

She couldn't look at them, her head had dipped and she refused to look up from the floor. There was a lot more to that story than her brief overview, and while the Doctor wanted to know every little piece so that he could attempt to try to make up for his failure, pushing her when she'd just walked through the door was a cruelty even he knew to avoid.

He closed the gap between them even more and she jumped, eyes wide as she looked up at the sudden attack. She saw it was him, and relaxed. "I-I never thought that I..." She pressed her lips together again, forcing herself to trail off before she said anything.

He reached out for her. He didn't take her hand, he didn't force her close. "Danni, it's okay," he reassured her gently. "We're here. You're here. We're home."

Clara hated the way that Danni hesitated. She hated the way that she looked suspiciously, then warily, at the Doctor's hand, like it was going to bite her. She hated to think that Missy had managed to take Danni's trust of her husband – something that had only really wavered once – and twist it to the point that she wasn't sure she could trust him anymore. Danni would always take a hug off her friends, or her husband, or anyone she cared about. She'd hug people she'd only just met. Whatever Missy had done to her must have been much worse than she'd thought.

Her brows furrowed as her mind conjured up images, then settled on one thought. "You said Missy had put someone in a robot before," she said. "Was that you?"

Danni had been reaching out for her husband, but just as her fingertips brushed his skin, she froze, and Clara immediately regretted the question. She pulled her hand back, her fingers fluttering before it fell by her side.

The Doctor saw the change as well and his eyes narrowed. "She's just found her way back," he said lowly in warning. "How about we save the third degree until later?"

"I'm sorry, it just slipped out," she replied. "I didn't mean..."

"She's not even had a chance to sit down," he continued, his voice raising just slightly. He turned back to his wife. "You don't have to answer that," he promised.

"I-I-" she stuttered out, looking between the two. She hadn't realised they'd still be fighting. And that was all her fault. Again. "I think I need a shower," she suddenly declared. "I haven't had one in days, and that desert was rather warm and dusty."

She didn't move, looking at him with a sense of apprehension. The Doctor shot her a kind smile in return. "If that's what you want," he told her. He didn't want her to go. He didn't want her out of his sight, but it was becoming increasingly obvious she was rather overwhelmed.

She nodded. "Thank you," she said. The Doctor watched her walk off, but noted the wince on her face directly after her words. Like she was annoyed that she'd even said them. Like it was an instinct that she really didn't like having at all.

"Do you think Missy made her say 'thank you' for allowing her to do things like clean herself?" Clara asked, horrified, once Danni was out of earshot.

The Doctor didn't reply straight away, even though he could pretty much guarantee it. "I don't know why you're even here," he snapped. "All you have done is upset my wife."

"If I wasn't here then you wouldn't even have her back," Clara retorted. "We all wanted to find her. I was just helping."

"Finding Danielle has nothing to do with your presence here," the Doctor told her. "If you had just stayed home where I'd left you..."

"Then you would never have gone to Davros," Clara finished for him. "Don't pretend like you weren't on the Time Lord equivalent to a bender when me and Missy turned up!"

"And don't pretend like you have her best interests at heart," he snapped back. "Now we've found her, now she is safe from Missy, I'm going to keep her safe from you."

"What does that mean?" Clara demanded.

"It means that you will _not_ ask her questions she is not ready to answer," he listed off. "It means that you will _not_ force her to face anything that has happened unless _she_ wants to, and it means that if I think, for a moment, you're going to hurt her again I _will_ drop you off home."

"And she won't let you," Clara told him. "And I'm not going without a fight. She'd my best friend and if she wants me here then I'm staying!"

The Doctor looked down at the woman that used to be his friend, at their companion, and felt every thread of his anger wrap together and point straight at her. Every ill feeling, all of his fury and heartbreak and pain gathered together and decided that she was going to bear the brunt of everything that was threatening to break out of him.

He took a step towards her, a face like thunder, and Clara instinctively took a step back. When other people were scared of him, she stood up to him because he'd never scared her. When she'd killed Danni she had actually felt that fear for the first time. The look on his face brought that fear back in full force.

"You're the reason she died," he told her lowly. "No matter how much you try and twist it in your head, you're the reason neither of us noticed she was gone. _You_ are the reason that Missy got her hands on her. _You_ are the reason that she was chained to a bed and abused. _You_ are the reason she has run away to the shower. All we _ever_ wanted was your friendship, and you chucked it back in back in our faces."

"You can't possibly think that I meant for all this to happen!" Clara shouted back. "You..." She glanced behind her, checking to see if Danni was stood there. While she was sure that Danni wasn't coming back any time soon, she still decided to play it safe and she stepped closer to him. "You know how I feel about her," she hissed. "You've played that card often enough."

"It doesn't matter," he replied. _"This is all your fault!"_

Clara straightened, shaking her head and a twisted little smirk appeared on her face. "You're right; it doesn't matter," she agreed. "And it doesn't matter if you believe that I'm at fault, or if you realise that it was Missy all along, or even if you blame yourself, or even if _I_ blame myself. Danni will _always_ forgive me. She already has, and you know that as much as I do. I've been inside your head," she jabbed at her own head, "I know how you think. You think like me, we're the same! As long as she forgives me there is nothing you're going to do about me. I'm here to stay."

The Doctor fell back slightly, the anger dissipating slightly as victory came to him. Clara was staring at him, as if daring him to try and contradict her. "Miss Oswald, once again hitting the nail right on the head," he retorted. "She will always forgive you, but none of that matters. This… this argument, you and me," he motioned between them, "none of it matters. You've been inside my head, you claim to know me so well. Tell me; did I ever forgive myself?"

Clara frowned. "Forgive what?"

"When I killed her?" he asked. "Oh, I didn't actually pull the trigger. I didn't blow apart her stomach. She didn't die in my arms because _I_ was the one who shot her. But I held her out, I watched her- I watched her float away." He waved his hands to illustrate, but both of them knew what he was referring to. "You know me so well? Did I forgive myself?"

She shook her head. "No," she mumbled. She remembered feeling the guilt fully once he'd saved her from his time line. It was almost overwhelming, and sometimes she would remember it and she

"And did she forgive me?" he continued. "We both know she did. We both know, just like with you, that she forgave me almost instantly. And it _doesn't matter_." He held his hands out, like he was conceding the point he was making. "You'll never forgive yourself," he told her. "Just like I never did. You may not have chained her to the bed, and you may not have taken the shot that caused her to regenerate, but it doesn't matter. One moment of grief meant that she was taken, and she was killed. It was all your fault and the reason you're arguing so passionately is because you know it's true. She may forgive you, but you never will."

With his hands in his pockets, he started to walk out of the console room, past the stunned Clara. "Don't pretend you know me better than I know you," he drawled as he headed away. "Like you said; we're the same."

Clara could feel her horror rising, that clawing pain in her chest tearing at her. He was right. She hated that he was, but she hadn't forgiven herself. She'd thought about it more than once. It was the reason she had fought so hard to find Danni, even when she should have taken a break sooner. She wanted Danni to forgive her because there was no way she was going to forgive herself.

She wanted Danny to forgive her because she hadn't been able to save him.

She wanted the Doctor to forgive her because she was never going to forgive herself for causing them both to lose focus, and miss when Danni was taken from her. She _needed_ him to forgive her for that.

But he wouldn't. Because _she_ wouldn't. There was no forgiveness. They were too much the same.

 _~0~0~0~_

The walls felt rough underneath her fingers. Danni really couldn't stop touching everything. Each door frame, each handle, each light. She opened each door to peer in, then closed it before heading on. She had been so sure that she'd remember where her bedroom was. It took her a moment to realise that the TARDIS probably would just give her the right door when she was ready to.

The fact that the bedroom door suddenly _happened_ to be the next door she found made her rather suspicious. She dipped her head in first, a frown on her face, checking out each corner of the room.

She walked over to the wardrobe and opened the door. There was clothes hanging up, ones she remembered wearing. She pulled them all out, running her fingers over each seam of the wardrobe before hastily shoving the clothes back in.

She next checked into the bed, dropping onto her stomach and peering under. She couldn't see anything there, either, so she quickly jumped back to her feet.

"Are you here?" she called out but there was no answer. There wasn't usually an answer, but sometimes it worked and she would be taken out of the illusion she had woken up in.

She waited a moment longer before heading to the bathroom. She performed the same ritual in there as well, checking each wall, checking the cupboard where all her excess shower gels were kept. She had accumulated quite the collection over the years. There was no hidden door in there. She'd sort out the mess she'd made later, should she still not wake up.

The shower was lovely. This body, she had noticed one day, liked to just stand under the water and let it run off her for ages. Once she'd stayed in the shower for almost an hour. Her skin had wrinkled terribly and she'd been told off for it, but she'd actually rather enjoyed it.

She wasn't afforded such a luxury at the moment, though. She quickly washed the dirt off, washing her hair, before getting out in just under ten minutes. It was a skill she'd picked up when she'd first jumped around the Doctor's timeline. Plus, it didn't allow her time to think on his question.

' _What happened?'_

It was such a loaded question, how was she even supposed to know where to begin with it? So much had happened over the time she'd been in Missy's possession, and so much afterwards as well, that it would take an age just to tell him part of it. And the look on his face if she ever told him…

She rigorously dried her hair the best she could with her towel before checking the cupboard again. Still nothing, so she got dressed and headed into the bedroom. Another sweep showing nothing at all and she was in the hallway.

Each door seemed to lead to another room rather than the console room, and while she didn't have time to search them all correctly, they all seemed to be how she remembered. But would she remember them properly, anyway? She hadn't been on the TARDIS for so long that maybe it was her memory that was failing and all of the rooms were wrong, she just didn't know it.

She turned a corner and immediately jumped. She'd not been expecting to see anyone, but Theta also seemed to pause in surprise at seeing her.

He immediately looked apologetic. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you, my Pet," he told her. She expected to flinch at the nickname. Instead she felt relieved at hearing it, and not for the first time from his lips either.

"That's alright," she replied quietly in reply. "I just wasn't expecting anyone else." They stood in silence for one, seemingly long, moment, just staring at each other.

"Did you have a nice shower?" the Doctor asked and she nodded.

"Warm water is seriously underrated," she told him. "I need to clear out that cupboard, though. I didn't realise I had such a problem with shower gels."

"It can wait," he replied. Again, there was this awkward pause. "I thought I'd find you in the bedroom."

Again, she nodded, like she could understand his confusion. "I was just… you know, having a look around," she said. "Seeing if everything was like I remembered."

"And?"

She smiled softly, glancing back down the hallway over her shoulder. "So far so good." She turned back to him. "Where's Clara?"

His face hardened, annoyance flickering across it. "Her room, I should suspect," was his short reply. Danni had really hoped that, while she'd been away, that their fighting would have ended. It turned out it hadn't.

"Oh."

Once again a silence fell over them. She seemed unsure of how to speak to him, and the Doctor just didn't know where to begin. There seemed to be nothing to talk about than what had happened, but neither of them wanted to talk about it yet now that they'd just been reunited. Everything he wanted to do seemed to cross some new line that had been drawn between them and he hated it so much it made him want to cry. He didn't want to hurt her by asking questions, and he didn't want to hurt her by ignoring it completely. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable by taking hold of her like he wanted and never letting go, and he didn't want to reject her by keeping his distance.

So, he stuck with being bluntly honest. "I don't know what to do."

A small smile flickered on her face. That was her Theta. What some people might take as an annoyed statement, she saw desperation behind it. He wasn't just telling her, he was beseeching her to help him.

She gave a little shrug. "I don't either," she admitted. "I never- I never thought I'd get this far. I never thought I'd-"

She pressed her lips together again, cutting herself off before she said too much. Instead, she took a deep breath to calm herself down before smiling at him once again. "What do you _want_ to do?"

The question was ridiculous, and yet so like his Danielle that he actually let out a little chuckle of relief at it. He knew nothing of this new incarnation. He'd not seen her grow and become her own separate person like she had with his. It was so nice to see parts he recognised so he could correlate them with the ones that were new.

Again, he stuck with honesty. "I want to hold you and never let go," he told her. "But I know it's too much for you right now and I refuse to push it. But, I am unsure of how to proceed with that." She started worrying her hands in front of her. He was right; she wasn't ready for it, either. Not while she was still so unsure. "I know a lot happened and you can't even begin to tell me. I know that you want to, because I can see the way you have to cut yourself off already, and we've only been back together half an hour. I can't imagine what that… that _thing_ put you through, and all because I let you down..."

 _You didn't let me down._

She wanted to say that but she couldn't. She just pressed her lips together all the more, stopping herself talking just like he said she did.

"Basically," his shoulders dropped, "I'm terrified of scaring you."

Her smile felt shakier than normal. "So am I," she whispered in return. "I- I don't want it to happen, but it's going to and it hurts. I've never been scared of you, but I..."

He nodded, allowing her to trail off, allowing her a moment of silence to gather herself. "I'm not going to ask," he promised. "And I'm not going to touch you until you touch me. But, the moment you do, I'm going to gather you up and make up for… well, everything. And I promise you." He took a step closer. "I promise, Danni, on _everything_ I am that she will not get to you again."

He watched her straighten, her eyes darting around, as if the mere mention of Missy made her terrified that she was around. "Danielle," she looked back to him, "I'll keep you safe."

"I can look after myself, you know?" she replied, slightly cheekily. "I'm not the one who needed saving from Davros, was I?"

He took the change in topic. "I had it all under control," he boasted.

"With your sonic sunglasses, right?" she countered. "Like some ancient rock star?"

He smirked. "Well, I didn't want to say..."

They walked off, next to each other, bantering back and forth like she had never been away. The temptation to play over every little detail again and again was huge for anyone who had been torn apart, but they weren't exactly short on time. The Doctor was just so happy to have her back that he could wait for her to offer the information freely. All he wanted was to help her heal, help her move on, and live his life by her side.

Clara dipped her head out of her doorway, tears in her eyes. So much wasn't said between the two, but she had heard every word. There was so much hurt and pain there that it was going to take a lot more time than either of them probably realised.

Her poor Danni-Girl…

 _~0~0~0~_

Rarely sleeping did have its advantages. While people slept on, the Doctor could spend time doing almost anything he wanted. It also helped that he lived in a time machine, which opened a lot more doors in that regard.

Sometimes, though, it really had its disadvantages. Danielle had headed to bed after what was probably a rather long, and definitely emotional, day. He'd wanted to go to bed with her but hadn't wanted to push her too soon. He had meant what he said; everything he did was going to be based on her cues. She'd just said a soft goodnight and headed to their bedroom. He'd let her, pretending to be contacting people to let them know she was okay.

He just needed a little time to process everything. He'd headed to Davros with the belief he was going to die. He'd taken over his stupid chair and threatened the entire Dalek race because he was going to die and he was taking as many of them with him as possible. Because he'd lost her forever. Because he'd _failed._

And now she was here. Sleeping in their bedroom, in their TARDIS, finally back home after being gone for _so_ long. It felt too good to be true, so he wanted to take the time to make sure that he could actually enjoy it and not worry about the million and one things that could possibly go wrong.

As if that was going to happen.

He'd not been able to call anyone up. They'd want to speak to her, or visit her, and he was still annoyed that Clara was in the TARDIS. He didn't want anyone else coming and crowding her when it was obvious that she just wanted to be left alone. And he wanted to be alone with her.

Instead, he'd made sure they were floating in the vortex before sitting down in his favourite chair, staring out into the console room. Everything he wanted to think about, to contemplate, rushed through his head so quickly that he found himself unable to think at all. He just stared, mind blank, hearts pounding.

She was home.

She was here. In their bed. Sleeping like she always did. He had expected them to meet back up, hug, kiss, cry and then… he knew he'd have to help her through whatever Missy would have put her through. He'd thought Missy was going to let her go, to not hurt her _too_ much, but the fact that she had been killed just said he knew _absolutely nothing._ And now he didn't know how to proceed. Did he even want to know what happened? What was he supposed to do?

At the end of each of their adventures, everything always seemed to settle back into the norm. This time that just wasn't going to happen. Missy hadn't just hurt her, and killed her, and kidnapped her. She'd taken their normal, she'd taken his wife and she'd changed them both so fundamentally that it was going to be a struggle to even find their way again.

And would Danni even want that back?

He blinked, surprised at the sudden wave of self-doubt. In all of his despair he'd never _once_ thought that she wouldn't want to be with him when they were reunited. But she'd not even asked him to go to bed with him. She'd not kissed him goodnight and she'd not said she loved him. They'd not been back together long, but those had hurt more than he wanted her to know. And they hurt because he didn't know if it was because she was still uncomfortable, or scared, or if she just didn't want to say it anymore.

Was this how she felt when he'd regenerated? He suddenly could understand that instant uncertainty she'd felt all those years ago. Three hundred years apart and a new and different demeanour had put her completely on the wrong footing, and his behaviour had just confirmed that to her. Was that what was in store for them? Was he going to feel rejected too?

No.

Not a chance. He straightened slightly in his chair. He knew better than that. She was the one who was always telling him that deep feelings, those parts of yourself that were _truly_ part of you never left when you regenerated. Tastes and personalities could alter, but not the feelings deep inside. Not his love for her, and not her love for him. He wasn't going to let her drift away. He'd learn every single new part of her, and he'd find each old and familiar part, and they'd be stronger than ever. Missy may have killed her, but he was going to be there as she lived.

He jumped off the chair and scurried down the stairs to the console. He quickly ran to the monitor with his renewed sense of determination. He could wallow, or he could move on. He chose to move on.

He brought up their bedroom just in time to see Danielle push herself behind one of the cupboards and push it to the ground. His eyes widened in surprise. Clothes were scattered everywhere. The covers were off the bed, also discarded to the side. The bathroom door was thrown wide open.

He almost skidded as he ran off without watching any more, heading to the bedroom with all the panic of running away from something trying to kill him. He chucked the door open and Danni spun around. She was obviously panicking, but her face held a furious look, as if him interrupting her was somehow infuriating.

"Where is she?" she demanded. "I know she's here somewhere!"

The way she spat out the pronoun immediately told him who she was talking about. He took a step closer, hands out in front of him in the hopes of placating her. "Danni, she's not here," he promised. "She can't get into the TARDIS."

Danni shook her head. "No, no, I know a dream when I see it," she told him. "There's no way she would just run off and leave me with you. I wasn't born yesterday. There's a door here somewhere and I'm going to find it."

It was absolutely terrifying to see her so worked up. He wasn't sure what else to do, so he reached out and grabbed her by the wrists before she could do any more damage to the room. "Danni," he said forcefully. "Missy isn't here. I don't know where she is, but I promise you that she's not here."

Danni did stop when he grabbed her, looking down when he was holding onto her like she didn't quite believe he was touching her. When her gaze rose to meet his, they were wide and startled. She looked around at the mess she'd made, then back at him.

"She's not here," he promised her again. "You're safe. I promise."

Her mouth moved up and down, working around the words she wanted to say. "I don't feel it," she admitted, ashamed of saying it out loud.

"You don't have to yet," he reassured her. "I'll make sure you are until you can feel it yourself."

She nodded slowly. "That's what you always say," she told him. "And I always believe you. I don't know if I can again. What if it just goes the same way again? I can't- I can't go through that again."

"I can't convince you to believe me," he replied. "You have to find that yourself. But you're safe. I will always make sure of that."

She looked him up and down, brows furrowed. He knew that he had a lot to make up for, and lot to prove. She did smile slightly, though, as she pulled her hands from his grasp. "One last time," she replied. "But I can't promise..."

"You don't have to promise anything," he replied, turning her around gently and nudging her towards the bed. "Go to sleep, get some rest, and we'll work on it tomorrow."

"What about the room?" she asked. "Do you want me to clean it up before I do?"

He shrugged. "The TARDIS will sort it out," he dismissed. "She always does."

Danni looked over her shoulder at him, coming to a stop. A calculating look flashed over her face and her mouth opened to, he guessed, ask him a question. Whatever it was, though, seemed to die and she rolled her eyes instead.

"You shouldn't put it all on the TARDIS," she scolded. "She's our home, not our maid."

"Yes, yes, I know," he replied. "And when you want to do your dishes, you're more than welcome to."

"I do my dishes!" she protested. "You know I have excellent cleaning skills."

"Didn't deny that, my Pet," he told her. "Never would." He tried not to image what thoughts were rushing through her head, and he tried not to work out why she had been looking for a door. Instead he walked over to the bed and helped her put it back together again.

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara surprised herself with how quickly she accepted Danni back in the TARDIS. She opened the door to the kitchen the next morning and saw the brunette by the kettle and she barely jumped at all.

If anything, it was her new body that was strange rather than her presence on the TARDIS after being gone for so long. It wasn't that it wasn't a nice body – Clara actually caught herself looking her up and down before realising exactly what she was doing – she just looked _so_ different. And, instead of being used to it from when the Doctor regenerated, she couldn't help but stare. She was even wearing a pair of dark blue pyjama pants and a black vest, while the Danni who had come before her liked lighter colours in her sleepwear.

She had a line of mugs in front of her as she poured four cups of tea. When she put the kettle back, Danni looked over at Clara with a soft little smirk of a smile on her face. "Don't stare too much," she teased. "I can't help looking this fantastic."

"I was just wondering why you were up," Clara retorted. "I thought you and the Doctor would still be in bed."

Danni shrugged to herself. "I don't really like to sleep much anymore," she explained. "And the Doctor doesn't sleep at all if he can help it. I thought I'd get onto making us some drinks."

"Well, I'll never say no to a morning cup of tea," Clara said, wandering over. "Why did you make four?"

"Well, one for me, one for you," she pushed Clara's mug towards her, "one for the Doctor and one..."

Her hand hovered over the top of the mug, the steam quickly burning her palm. The fourth was for Missy. She'd done it without thinking, and she hated herself for it. She'd done it automatically because, for so long, whatever she made it was always for Missy. She'd spent so long trying to remember how Clara and the Doctor took their drinks – both with a ridiculous amount of sugar and just the _right_ amount of milk – that the third and fourth mug had come naturally to her.

She quickly grabbed it by the handle, heading to the sink. "Practice," she finished sharply. "That one was practice."

She poured away and almost threw the cup in afterwards, but remembered that it would have just smashed, so she put it on the drainer ready to be cleaned. "Everyone needs a practice cup," she continued. "Making tea isn't something to scoff at."

Clara watched her walk away from the sink, pause, then move back to rinse both the sink and the cup out. She obviously had just wanted to leave it alone but, something inside her told her that she couldn't.

"Was that for Missy?" She asked it kindly, hoping that the tone of her voice was more reassuring than prying.

Danni shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it. She'd barely been back on the TARDIS a day, couldn't she just enjoy being there for a little while before she started to analyse every single little thing she did?

"Of course it was," she snapped out. "Don't bring attention to it."

She picked up the mug she had designated Clara's and practically shoved it at her. "We can do that," Clara agreed. "She's gone now, anyway."

"Yeah," Danni muttered. She didn't believe that, not for a second. Sooner or later Missy was going to turn up and try and take her again. She wasn't going to stop just because Danni was seemingly safe. In fact, Danni was so convinced that it was only a matter of time before she was back in that bedroom that she had to wonder if this wasn't a dream and was, in fact, some extended horrid trick by Missy to try and break her spirit once again.

"You can, though, you know?" Clara did continue. She didn't want Danni to be afraid of her. She wanted Danni to be her friend. "Talk, if you want. If you don't want the Doctor to know, you can always tell me. If you want to, of course. We don't have to talk about anything."

"Thanks," Danni said in reply. "But I'm good. I better take him his tea," she continued, picking up the third mug. "I'll be back in a minute."

"I'll make toast," Clara offered and Danni did actually smile at her. Clara, as always, was incredibly considerate and also not awfully pushy. She really appreciated it. If anyone would make her talk, it would be Clara. But she didn't want anyone to know what had happened to her, especially when she couldn't guarantee it would get back to Missy in some form.

"Thanks, sweetie," Danni said sincerely. "I won't be long."

Clara watched her head out, her own smile falling away. Danni would always open up to her. It was the reason she'd come to her when she'd left her husband. Their friendship was solid, it was something Clara had always been able to rely on. Danni didn't want to talk to her not because she didn't want to talk, but because she didn't think she could. She knew her Danni-Girl well.

Danni hadn't asked about Danny. She had yet to even bring up the man with her name and that just added to the evidence that was screaming that she wasn't okay. Danni would want to check if she was okay. She'd want to know if they'd found Danny after she was taken. She'd want to know how long it had been, and had she missed the funeral, and if there was anything she could do. Danni not asking about her boyfriend just meant that there was so much going on in her head that she couldn't even remember anything around her. She couldn't handle someone else's pain because she was in such pain herself.

There was so much more going on that Danni was letting on. This wasn't something she was going to get past easily. Clara had clung to saving Danni as the start of moving on with her own life. Perhaps she was putting too much on the shoulders of a woman who made four cups of tea for three people.

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara sighed to herself, standing in front of her mirror as she straightened her clothes. Her case was taunting her from the end of her bed, pointing out that she was just stalling. She'd checked herself in the mirror almost half a dozen times and she looked fine. Not that she really needed to look her best. But, then again, she always liked to look her best when she could.

Eventually, though, she had to pull herself together. She was going to have to grab that case, walk it out into the hallway, and into the console room.

She let out a shaky breath. This was actually happening. How could this be happening?

She nodded once to herself before reaching for the case. It felt heavy as she pulled it behind her, and yet it was like she could barely feel it. The lump in her throat was threatening to choke her. She had to fight against anything not to turn back around.

Danni and the Doctor were in the console room when she reached it, stood a few feet apart but talking freely. Danni glanced over at her, trailing off as she frowned.

"Where are you going?" she asked playfully, but Clara could hear the confusion in her voice.

"Home," she replied, walking over with her suitcase. She had to be strong, she couldn't back down now. "I think it's time for me to leave."

"Oh," Danni replied simply. "Fair enough. I guess you have been here a while now." She smiled warmly at Clara. "We can get back to picking you up on Wednesdays," she continued. "We can start getting back to normal again."

Clara glanced at the Doctor, who didn't seem too pleased by this news judging from the scowl on his face. It really hurt to think that this was how they were going to end things. She had really hoped that they might have made amends, but she also knew that no matter how hard she tried, the Doctor was never going to trust her again. And, really, she couldn't blame him.

"No, I mean, I think it's time for me to leave. For good," she clarified.

"Oh," Danni repeated, obviously completely taken aback by Clara's sudden desire to leave. "Um, sure, we can..." She looked to the Doctor for help. "We can do that. Um..."

Her brain stuttered to a stop. At no point over the years had this scenario played out. She'd never made it back only for Clara to leave. Nothing could have prepared her for it, and she really just wanted to grab Clara and beg for her to stay. But, the last thing she would ever do was hold someone against their will.

She didn't even know how to handle it. She'd never had a companion just leave on them before. Well… Martha did, but not only had Martha done it when she wasn't there, but she had already known it was coming. She had never seen Clara just walking away. She'd not even liked to think about Clara leaving at all.

"I'll fly us back," the Doctor told them both, stepping up to the console. Danni gave a little, desperate shake of her head, as if telling him to not let this happen. "I never thought it would be this easy to get you to leave."

" _Doctor!_ " Danni scolded before turning back to Clara. "Is… Is that why you're leaving?" she asked. "Because you two are fighting?"

Clara quickly shook her head. "No, definitely not," she promised. "It's… Well, it's because of you, really." Danni backed away like she had been hit, her eyes widening in horror. "No, no, that came out wrong," Clara quickly clarified. "Look..." She reached out for Danni's hand before catching herself. "You've been through something terrible," she started. "And you're not okay. You're as far from okay as you could possibly be, and that is something that's going to take time and help to come back from. And that help can't come from anyone but him." She nodded to the Doctor. "I'm not going to be able to help you. I'm just not."

"I've never wanted you to feel like you need to help me," Danni replied. "I never meant to put anything like that on your shoulders."

"And you didn't. I'm happy to do it," Clara promised.

"Is it because I didn't ask about Danny?" Danni threw back, surprising Clara. "I didn't want to because I wasn't sure if you could talk about him yet. I did- I did think about it, though."

"No, it's not that," Clara replied. "Danni, you _need_ time alone. You need to heal, and you need help and I just can't do that. I can't, because all I do is look at you and see guilt, and that is never going to work."

Danni shook her head. "You don't have anything to feel guilty about," she insisted. "You've not done anything wrong."

"I did," Clara corrected. "I killed you."

"It was just a dream!" Danni exclaimed, trying not to show how upset she was. She didn't like to cry in front of anyone because it was just something else that could be used against her. Most of the time she didn't have the luxury of getting emotional. She just wanted Clara to understand that she didn't, for one moment, think Clara had hurt her.

"I know," Clara replied. "But my actions led to you being taken. Missy killed you because I was selfish." Danni opened her mouth to protest, but one look off Clara and she closed it again. "I can't let that go, Danni, even if you have. When I look at you, I see that failing. I see..." Her breath caught. "I was selfish because I lost the man I love," she continued softly. "And I've been using looking for you as an excuse to get over it, but I'm not. I don't know if I'm ever going to get over Danny Pink, but it's not going to happen here. And if I'm still grieving, and blaming myself, and trying to make everything right, I'm never going to get over him and I'm not going to be able to help you get over your demons."

Danni pressed her lips together. She could hear the pain in Clara's voice, but could see how the brunette was trying to keep herself together. She always liked to give a strong front, which just highlighted all the more how much she was hurting if she was willing to admit it. She wasn't just leaving because she felt guilty over what had happened – and that was no one else's fault but Missy's – but because she was grieving and being with her was just too painful for her to stand. She was leaving because it became too much and their friendship was destroyed forever.

Danni had to let her go.

She reached forward, pulling Clara in for a hug even though every part of her screamed at allowing such close contact with someone she still couldn't verify as being who they said they were. There was no way she was going to let her go without one.

"You're my best friend," Danni told her before pulling back. Both of them were crying now. "I just want you to be happy. If this is how it happens, then this is what _has_ to happen."

"You're _my_ best friend," Clara replied. "I never want to hurt you again, and this is how that happens." Danni nodded and Clara reached out, cupping her face. "But don't think, for one moment, that I'm going to let you go forever. I'm not like your other friends. I expect visits. I expect sleepovers when you're ready to see me again. You don't get to just run away like with everyone else."

Danni laughed lightly. "You always have to be the boss, don't you?"

Clara let go of her face, straightening slightly. "I _am_ the boss," she corrected. They both stood, staring at each other, and Clara realised that she wasn't going to see either of them for a very long time. Her heart ached. Her tears stung her eyes. "I never thought this was how it would go," she told Danni honestly.

"No, me neither," Danni agreed. "Clara Oswald. Our Impossible Girl." She tried to smile. "I'm really going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too, my Danni-Girl," Clara replied. She turned, grabbing the handle of her suitcase, and dragged it over to the Doctor. He'd flown them back to her flat while they had been talking, and was now stood with those stupid sunglasses on top of his head, watching the scene with a look of disinterest that fooled neither woman.

"I know you don't trust me," Clara said. "And I know you'll never forgive me. But you are my best friend as well, and I will miss you. And I'm _so_ sorry."

"I know," he replied. "Thank you for doing this for her." And he meant it. Danielle needed time, she needed space. In the same way that she had helped him, he needed to help her come to terms with what had happened. They needed time to come to terms _together_. He needed to be able to focus solely on his wife, and not on the woman that he did feel held some of the blame for what happened. He could never forgive her, but he appreciated her attempts all the same.

Clara looked between the Time Lords one more time, before she headed towards the door, suitcase behind her, head held high. Danni followed behind, but didn't set out into the hallway like Clara did. She parked the suitcase next to her, turned and closed the door behind her, then looked back out into her flat.

The TARDIS slowly disappeared behind her, and she felt absolutely devastated. She felt like she was leaving a life behind she never wanted to say goodbye to, and nothing felt more true. But her flat was her new start, a new life, one that she never saw without Danny Pink or the Doctor or Danni Fielding by her side. She'd lost the man she loved, and the woman she loved, and her best friend. She felt like she couldn't get any lower.

She nodded once to herself then pulled her suitcase to her bedroom. No time like the present to start again.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Should I keep apologising for the late chapters, or should we all just assume that there's an apology because I can't post on time anymore XD_

 _Hope you liked the chapter :D_

 _I'm going to be doing a new thing on Tumblr, called **'Ask Me Anything Monday'**. I trialled it when I was away last month and it seemed to go down well, so I'd like to make it a monthly thing._

 _The first one will be next Monday, so the 13th November. They'll be once a month from then on, and I'll add reminders to the Authors Notes and post about it on Tumblr._

 _You don't have to have an account to submit questions. All you have to do is go to my Tumblr page and send me in messages with 'Ask me anything Monday' at the start of the ask so I know it's for then :D_

 _Reviews -_

 _silverhawke88 - Danni's on her fourth now. Her third regeneration and her fourth body :) No talk about it yet, but they've only just started being back together again._

 _serenitysaiyan - She's going to take a while to settle. And he will at some point, but right now he's just going to help her heal enough that she can handle being around more people, who will all have so many questions._

 _bored411 - She is, isn't she?! We'll get more of that when they get back to adventures once again. Hope you liked this chapter as well :)_

 _House-of-marcella - Why thank you :D_

 _Authora97 - Hehe I'm glad love, and well done! :D_

 _AGBreads - Thanks sweetie!_


	12. The Underwater Base

The door to the TARDIS shut and Danni didn't move. The Doctor, not really knowing if he should say anything, quickly flew the TARDIS away, and she still didn't move. She obviously was rather hurt by Clara leaving, and he felt rather bad that he'd had a hand in her decision. However, she was right. Danni was not going to bounce back from this. It was something that, in the past, he'd assumed that she would be able to do. After the Valiant he had been able to just ignore her recovery because of their limited time together. He saw her happy most of the time and he allowed himself to believe that she didn't need any help at all. He'd never offered her any. She'd had to come to terms with what had happened to her on her own, and it had been to her detriment.

She turned to face her and the guilt washed him over him. She took a deep breath, pushing her lips together as she tried to calm herself. In her moments of true need she tried to repress it because he'd taught her that. Even in their year apart, where he'd opened up and listened to her, her instinct was to hide.

"Of all the things I thought I'd see while I was here, Clara leaving really," she shook her head, " _really_ wasn't one of them."

"I agree," he replied honestly. "I never thought she'd leave you of her own accord."

"Don't be mean," she retorted, but it didn't have her normal warning tone behind it. He watched her brow furrow slightly, but she didn't continue. He could see how she was trying to process and he desperately wanted to help.

"What are you thinking?" he asked her.

Her mouth opened, then slammed shut again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was being ridiculous. She had to believe he was genuine, otherwise what was the point in running away? Just because he hadn't been every other time she had made it home didn't mean it wasn't her Theta now. Just because she had a reason to be paranoid didn't mean she had to be now. After all, wasn't that exactly what Missy wanted? To unhinge her so much that she'd end up running back to her open arms?

"We've never really done the 'no companion' thing before," Danni started. Something small, something they could both agree on. "There was Rose, then Martha, then Donna, then Amy. We spent – we spent some time alone on the cloud, but that wasn't really travelling. Are we going to- I don't-" She took a deep breath to calm herself. Every part of her wanted to run from the conversation. It frustrated her how she was being so _pathetic._

"Can we even be, you know, just us two?" she asked quietly.

He started walking towards her, letting himself smile all the more when she didn't instinctively step away. "Of course we can," he told her. "Think about it. We spent years together, seeing fantastical, beautiful sights between picking up Clara. Now we have all these planets, all these people, anything you can imagine to go explore. Sights that have never been seen and will never be seen again, all waiting for us to appear. With no one to check in with we can just dance across the universe, taking our time, exploring, _enjoying_ together." He could see the tilt of her lips, a smile fighting its way through her barriers. "Just you and me, Danni-Girl," he continued enticingly. "We can see _everything_." It had always been an easy sell, a little cheap trick he had always been able to pull out. Tempting her with new things, things that no one else had ever seen before, had always worked on her no matter which body he was talking to. It was relieving to see that this body seemed to be the same, cause he could see the ideas already running through her just by the way her eyes widened slightly, lighting up in happiness.

"That does sound rather temping," she admitted.

"We don't need anyone travelling with us," he told her. "The Claras, the Amys, the Roses? They're great and all but," he smirked, "no matter what, it has always been the same. The Doctor and Danni, on the TARDIS, until the end of time. We never needed anyone else. We just liked having them around."

The mention of Clara had been a calculated move, one that he knew would pay off even as her face dropped slightly at their newly departed companion. They were all just a point he was making, and one he knew Danni would see.

She slowly smirked, an almost flirtatious look appeared on her face and he had to think for a moment to place where he'd seen it before; she really had pulled from both of her parents this regeneration, hadn't she?

"Alright, you win," she replied. "But I want to do it. I want to fly us away."

He took a step to the side, waving his arm towards the console. He watched her walk over, a part of his loving the confidence in her walk now. Her last body was always a little self-confident, not her looks but usually in her about her ability. She didn't seem to feel that, now. He hated how it came about, but he was glad she saw herself like he saw her now.

He joined her by her side, a small step further away than he normally would just to give her the space he knew she needed. "Would you like something random, or do you have a place in mind?" he asked her, ready to help guide her.

She looked up at him, the smirk never fading. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she replied before quickly setting the controls. With one last glance at the door, wondering if she should go back for Clara before forcing herself to turn away, she flipped the switch and they were away.

"Where did you learn to do that?" the Doctor asked, surprised as he quickly held onto the console. She wasn't the smoothest of pilots, the TARDIS jolted a little like his idiotic Eleventh self would fly her, but he'd only ever been able to show her a few controls over their time together. They'd always get too… well, distracted and it was never a strong point for her anyway.

"You taught me, remember?" she reminded.

"I did?"

She watched him out of the corner of her eye, observing the way he looked genuinely confused and filed it away as yet another proof point that she was back home again. She needed these moments, because the moment they passed she was back to thinking how Missy would have faked the same thing. She took hold of the fact that the Doctor didn't know it was Missy who had taught her, keeping it close as a reminder. This was real. It wasn't a hallucination. She was safe.

 _~0~0~0~_

Sometimes learning about another person really couldn't be done with asking questions, it had to be done watching them move about, living their everyday life. It just happened that their everyday life revolved around travelling far and wide in a time travelling box.

Danni could feel the Doctor's eyes constantly on her. It unnerved her slightly, if she was honest with herself. She had come to absolutely loathe the feeling of being watched, but she couldn't exactly blame him. She wasn't the wife that had been taken any more. She was new, exciting. He always had been so curious, it was one of the things that she loved about him.

So she really tried to ignore it. She knew that she should have brought it up, but she had already reached her quota of speaking up. Every time she said anything even slightly revealing all she could think about was how Missy would use it against her at a later date.

Clara may have had a point, which was what made her leaving even harder.

Still, she tried to ignore it. She tried to walk through the frosted park, listening to the Doctor point things out, and just enjoy it as a trip. Apparently the TARDIS had wanted to start her off with something easy and calm, because nothing out of the ordinary was happening. There were beautiful trees, and stunning flowers, and the local wildlife didn't seem bothered at all by the small groups of people who walked through their land.

Danni loved to see new things. This planet was simply stunning. She was sure, any other time, she would really have enjoyed it.

But she was bored.

No, that wasn't it. She wasn't bored, she was unsettled. For the last… well, she actually wasn't sure how long, but definitely a good few years, she had been running. Fighting and running. Even once she'd reached Skaro she'd had to sneak her way into the depths with the chance of being exterminated around every corner. There hadn't been any rest or respite. There'd not been walking through a park looking at the foliage. The sudden change in tone and tempo really didn't sit well in her stomach. Everything was tainted with an uneasy feeling, like the moment in a movie just before a scare.

"Are you okay?"

She blinked, pulling herself out of her thoughts to look up at her husband. He looked concerned, his impressive eyebrows pulled together as he frowned. He was so good looking, it was borderline frustrating. Then again, she'd not exactly been short changed this time around either, had she? Had he noticed?

She shot him a little smirk, pulling her jacket closer around her to keep the cold out. "Always, doll," she purred in reply. "Why do you ask?"

In reply he wrinkled his nose. "Don't do that," he told her. "You sound too much like your father. It's confusing."

She couldn't help but laugh at the annoyance in his tone. "I can imagine," she agreed. "I'm not sure I like 'doll' anyway. 'Sweetie' will always have a place in my hearts."

He had to admit that she sounded much more like his Danielle with the other term of endearment, although now that he'd heard her father, he worried that he might hear her mother. He pushed that thought away, though, because it could take root too much. "You weren't saying much," he explained, going back to his question. "I thought you'd be full of questions."

She shrugged. "I was just happy listening," she replied. "You were answering all of my questions before I'd thought to ask them."

They didn't stop walking, but there was a pause for a moment as he thought on her words. Then he smiled, amused. "You're bored."

"How dare you?" she retorted, offended. "Who could be bored walking around such a beautiful park?"

"You're bored," he said, as if her words just confirmed his guess. She huffed slightly, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets as they continued on. "We can go somewhere else, if you would prefer."

"I'm not bored," she insisted again, because it really wasn't the way to describe how she was feeling. "I'm just… I'm just thinking on the last time I was in a park, that was all."

"Oh?"

She pressed her lips together again, wondering if she should let him in a little further. It would be a good test, wouldn't it? Seeing how he reacted to Missy. She had to admit, though, that everything really felt real. The ground under her boots crunched properly, there was no strange spring in anyone's step. The air bit her cheeks. The urge to reach out and grab his hand was overwhelming.

"Yeah, now _that_ was dull," she brushed off. "This is really nice. I guess the calm is a bit strange, but it's really… nice."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," he commented, wondering if he should have taken control of their first trip. This was the problem with the 'random' setting. He could have taken her somewhere with some excitement. Or, at least, a little bit more life than people walking their various species of pets.

"It's not bad, it's just different," she explained. "I'm not used to nice. Everything always has a catch, I'm just waiting for this one."

The Doctor's steps fell to a stop, but Danni continued walked as if she'd not noticed. She had a little bit more of a swagger than she used to. Perhaps it was the jacket. He had always loved an overcoat. That was something to keep in mind for the future.

"Danielle." She came to a stop, turning to look at him with her own confused look. "There's no catch, you know that, right?"

"There's always a catch," she pointed out. "Something bad always follows something good. There's always something to gain from someone's actions. Our lives have shown us that on more than one occasion."

Even with her new body, her new posture, her new voice, that cynicism just didn't seem to fit right. She'd learnt it, he was sure, rather than had been 'born' with it. Once again he wondered just how much Missy had put her through.

"You're right," he agreed with a nod. "Alright, I admit it. There is a catch, there's always a catch, with every place we visit together." She'd straightened, eyes alert. That was Missy. This was _all_ Missy. "And it's that you _enjoy_ yourself," he finished. She didn't relax, but her brows did furrow. "We only do anything because I know you'll enjoy it. If you're bored, or not enjoying this walk in the park, then we can leave. There's always the option to leave if you're not comfortable."

Danni stared, becoming increasingly more suspicious of the man in front of her. Sure, they'd both improved on their communication towards each other before she'd been taken, but this seemed a lot more than she would have expected, even from him.

"I don't believe you," she declared. "I don't believe you one little bit." She saw the hurt flash on his face and was surprised that it wasn't anger at all. When she saw through the facade, it was _always_ anger. "I mean, I _want_ to. I want to believe it's you standing there, telling me to listen to my feelings and being lovely to me, but I don't."

"Is there anything I can do to prove it's me?" he asked her. He wasn't sure how he could possibly prove it was him if she was going in believing everything around her to be fake. It wasn't something he could make her believe.

She shook her head. "I don't-" she started. "I don't want to talk about this right now. What's on the other side of the park?"

She didn't have an answer for him. She had always thought that when she finally made her way back to him, she'd just _know_ it was him. It had to be her Theta, because she could just _tell_ , like some sort of sappy romantic novel – not that she read them or anything. Now she was with him, though, there was no telling because _every time_ she was with him she thought it was him. And _every single time_ it wasn't.

"Danielle," the Doctor called after her as she started walking again. She stuttered in her step, turning around.

"It all feels normal," she told him. "It feels normal, and that's how it _always_ feels. I just- I just," she sighed heavily, "I just need to feel it _not_ feel normal. I- I can't explain it any better than that."

The rage that flared up in him was barely containable. She looked so desperate, a mask he'd not even noticed cracking and letting through her unbridled fear. She was terrified that he wasn't real. He caught it, though, and pushed it back. Missy was still out there, and she hadn't been punished for her misdeeds, but he couldn't let himself dwell on it too much. Danni needed his support, not his anger.

"I can't help with that," he admitted. "I can only keep trying to prove to you that I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere, and that she isn't going to be able to step anywhere near you again."

She nodded slowly. "That's- That's fair," she agreed. "I guess I could, you know, try and let you convince me."

"That's half the battle," he said, hoping that he sounded encouraging and not patronising. The way she raised an eyebrow said he'd failed. "Oh, no, I'm spouting rubbish now. Listen to me, I sound like a self-help book."

She giggled, feeling herself relax, amused at the look of absolute disgust on his face. "Well, I wasn't going to say anything," she told him. "Although, I could write some of it down if you want to remember it."

"Hush, you," he warned as they turned around, heading back towards the TARDIS in an unspoken agreement that this trip had been dead before it had really started. "Don't pretend like you wouldn't read any book I wrote."

"Oh, you are _so_ full of yourself," Danni replied, even though he was right. "As if you could focus long enough to write a book."

 _~0~0~0~_

Apparently, no matter how much Danni had insisted, the Doctor truly believed that she was bored with just visiting a planet, or a time period, and simply watching. She'd always liked people watching so visiting anywhere always was a delight. Still, no matter how much she told him this, he didn't believe her.

She wasn't sure if that was a Doctor trait or a Missy trait, and she was fast coming to the conclusion that they were too similar to be able to tell the difference. It wasn't a thought she particularly liked, but there it was. Floating in her head. Making her doubt everything. It wasn't fun, she didn't appreciate it, but she kept it to herself.

The Doctor was keeping the excitement flowing, though. Between New Years Eve parties that went on for centuries and a cruise that ended up being shipwrecked for two weeks, that thought hadn't actually had time to sink too deeply into her head. She had been more concerned with, well, surviving whatever the universe was throwing their way. And that, to be honest, felt more normal than trying to slowly return to her life back on the TARDIS. In everything she had ever done, she'd been thrown in at the deep end. Why would this been any different?

She had just gone to get changed for their next adventure when she stepped into the console room. The Doctor kept commenting on how she kept dressing like her father, and while it wasn't exactly an insult she had decided to try to go the other way. Of course, she'd spent a good while debating with herself about whether or not she was being coerced into changing her clothes, but the Doctor was right; if she was going to continue to second guess herself then nothing was going to change.

Now, though, she was worried that she'd dressed too much like River. The boots, the leggings and the dress felt a little too much like she was pulling inspiration from her wardrobe. Danni wasn't sure that she had her own style, though, so she kept it. She was allowed to dress herself, which was such an improvement that she didn't want to throw too much fuss about it.

"Doctor?" she asked, calling out to him but he wasn't there. The door out of the TARDIS was open slightly, so she headed over, grabbing her overcoat as she went. She stuck her head out as she slipped it on and saw the Doctor frowning at the TARDIS, running his hand over her. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," he replied, his voice low and she immediately was on alert. He was trying to be quiet, that was never good. "She's not happy." He looked up at the TARDIS. "Why aren't you happy? Tell me."

"Did you try running the diagnostics?" she asked him.

"Of course not. They're never right," he retorted.

"You know that she behaves better when you ask her what's wrong," Danni replied. "Perhaps you should listen."

"I am listening. The diagnostics are never right," he insisted. "Something here is not right."

Danni turned from him to look where they'd landed. The long hallways looked rather damp, with what looked like mold growing from the ground up. She frowned, stepping out.

"Are we underwater?" she asked. She still wasn't sure if she appreciated the happy grins he shot her when she got something right, but they did help her self esteem a little bit so she let it slide.

As she closed the door behind her, he started down the hallway, rubbing his finger up against some of the grime. He loved to see her asking questions and using her brain. Too many times already he'd seen her force back a question because she was worried that he wasn't going to like her asking it. Almost like she was conditioned not to.

"Some sort of a base," he confirmed. "Any idea what year?"

She looked around, looking at the lights, the moulding of the walls. "We're definitely on Earth. Looks a little old tech," she commented. "Those lights are using rather old bulbs, right?"

He watched her out of the corner of his eye, his grin never fading. "Twenty second century," he confirmed. "Maybe military, maybe scientific."

"And we can breathe, which means oxygen," Danni said, looking to him for more confirmation. He nodded once. "So there must be people somewhere?"

"Somewhere indeed," he drawled. They were both heading deeper into the base, and he glanced to his side. She was looking around, checking each corner, obviously making notes of what she was seeing. He hadn't expected to go somewhere so… unexpected so soon. "Why don't you head back to the TARDIS?" he suggested lightly. "I'm sure the TARDIS just has a bit of indigestion from that never-ending party. Too many imen cakes."

Danni looked at her from the corner of her eyes. "Trying to get rid of me already?" she asked. He quickly shook his head.

"No, no, of course not," he reassured her. "I just thought… well, I don't want you to..."

"You think I'm too fragile to handle one little investigation even though _I'm_ the one who escaped and spent seven years dancing around the universe looking for you, on my own, with no TARDIS." she retorted. "I think I'm fine, don't you?"

"Seven years?" he repeated and she shrugged.

"Roughly," she replied, because she wasn't entirely sure herself. "I think. I lost track. Either way, I'm fine. Stop worrying."

She didn't snap but he immediately felt like he should drop it. To be perfectly honest it wasn't her skill that was casting doubt on the adventure, but rather her ability to tell truth from fiction. Every little glance at every little thing seemed to hold the question of her deciding whether or not it was real. He'd been trying so hard to prove it but he wasn't willing to put her in danger for it.

It seemed like he didn't have a choice, though, as they stumbled upon what seemed to be a mess hall. There were tables with multicoloured chairs around them to give the illusion of home whilst simultaneously having the company logo placed on the wall to remind the crew they were at work. Danni barely paid attention to the mural of the dragon on the wall, instead taking in the dishevelled room, which had chairs strewn over the floor. The doors to the fridges had been left wide open.

"Well, someone left here in a hurry," she commented, stepping around the mess and heading to the counter.

The Doctor, meanwhile, spotted the knife wedged in the mural. He gave it a flick, watching it bounce from side to side but not fall out. It was in there pretty deep. "Didn't you once throw a knife at me?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Kinda," she replied as she quickly looked through the cupboards. They were pretty bare, but she ran her hand over each surface to make sure they were flat. The joins seemed pretty sturdy, too. She still hadn't found the door back into Missy's Paradise. "I was throwing it at a Silent. You just happened to come in when it disappeared."

"Oh, yes, that was it," he recalled. "That was jammed in the door pretty hard as well, wasn't it?" He looked back to the wall. "Whatever happened here must have terrified the crew just as much." He turned, heading to one of the tables where the food and drink was still in place, as if the person had just got up and headed to the bathroom. "Whatever it was happened pretty recently." He stuck his finger into the cold cup of tea. "Seven or eight hours ago."

"Please clean that off," she told him as he waved his finger in the air to get the excess liquid off. "You don't know who was drinking that." She walked over, her long strides still seeming rather foreign on his wife. "There's no bodies anywhere, so they must have escaped. With enough time to grab as many provisions with them as they could."

She stood in front of him, hands in the pockets of her dress, pushing her overcoat back and away. He'd spent a lot of their time together thinking how much she looked like her parents, but that was a move she definitely had picked up from him. All she needed was the 'I'm clever' glasses.

His hearts twanged. He never got to say goodbye to his wife. She'd regenerated and there was no closure coming his way.

"Which means they haven't abandoned ship," he reasoned. "Provisions means they're hauled up somewhere."

"If they'd escaped within eight hours, they wouldn't have raided the fridge," she agreed. "It can't have been something from outside, could it?" She nodded towards the window, where they'd both spotted the underwater village outside.

"I doubt it," he replied. "Come on."

He led them out of the room and back into the next hallway, where just around a bend two crewmembers were crouched together on the floor. "Look. Told you. Crew," he boasted.

"I didn't say you were wrong," she replied. "In fact, I literally just agreed with you."

"Yeah, well, it's always good to remind you when I'm right. Get a few in the bag for when I'm not," he explained. She wanted to roll her eyes and tell him he was being childish, but he was just too amusing and she let out a little giggle. He couldn't stop smiling; she was enjoying herself.

They started walking toward the two crewmembers. "Hello, sailors!" the Doctor called to them.

Simultaneously the two figures stood up, their solid forms shimmering into a blurred, faded state. They both turned and stared at them with black, sunken eye sockets but no actual eyes to speak of. Their lips moved but no sound came out. One was dressed as if he was a Victorian, but the other wore military casual clothing. They didn't seem a likely pair at all.

The two Time Lords came to a stop. "Right, I did not expect that," the Doctor said. "Hands up who expected that."

Danni shook her head, her hand going to his jacket pocket again. "You can't have brought us to ghosts," she hissed. "Seriously?"

The figure started walking towards them and, instinctively, Danni took a step back. The Doctor immediately reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her from moving any further.

"It's okay, it's okay," he quickly rambled. "I don't think they're going to hurt us. I think that they're just curious."

The two ghostly figures stood almost nose to nose with them. Well, they would have had Danni been tall enough. "Well, can't they be curious somewhere else?" Danni hissed to her husband. "I didn't consent to them being this curious close up."

"It's fine," he replied, although he wasn't too sure of that as the two figures looked over them. "Look at you lovely chaps," he said to the ghosts. "What's happened to you, then?"

The figures looked to each other, then turned and walked back the way they had come from. The Doctor looked down at Danni, who was panting lightly in relief. "Do you want to..."

"Head to the TARDIS? No way," she retorted, striding forward. "Come on, keep up."

She practically jogged after the two figures, much to the Doctor's surprised joy. She really was enjoying herself. He should have known; Danni never appreciated being treated like glass. She wasn't looking for everyone else's normal, she was looking for _their_ normal. Well, this was it.

He quickly joined her at her side as they headed around another bend. "So," she whispered. "Any ideas?"

"I haven't a clue," he admitted freely. "Isn't that exciting?"

The smile they shared spoke more than words could. Danni didn't even notice the small shift. As they headed down the hallway and into the new room behind automatic doors, she didn't even look for a hidden doorway into a digital world. She just followed the ghosts and her husband.

"They've gone," Danni commented lowly as the doors closed behind them. It appeared to be some sort of hanger but the ghosts were nowhere to be found. "And _what_ is that?"

Both of them were immediately drawn to the large, silver, metal vehicle sat in the middle of the room. Even though the ghosts never left their minds, both of them hurried around it to see the backside completely open.

"Well, it's alien," the Doctor offered.

"I could have told you that," Danni retorted. There didn't seem to be much inside. Every surface was white, illuminated by two lights. In the middle was a white rectangular object, but there were no signs of controls or any equipment.

Danni quickly cut in front of the Doctor, dashing up the stairs and into the ship. The Doctor was hot on her heels. "Is it a medical ship?" she asked.

"Perhaps," he replied in a tone that said he really wasn't convinced it was. He ran his hand over the top of the rectangular object before something on the wall caught his eye. Strange symbols were carved into the otherwise flawless wall.

He didn't say anything, instead he pointed at the wall and Danni quickly turned around. "How come I can't read that?" she asked him, reaching into her other pocket to pull out her sonic screwdriver. It had been the first thing she had looked for before they'd started travelling again. She liked his glasses, but having her own device just made her feel more in control.

"The TARDIS hasn't translated it," he commented as she scanned the writing.

"Strange," she commented, the results just baffling her. "I think there's something in..."

A whooshing noise pulled her attention out of the ship and back into the room. The two ghosts were stood in the opposite corner, staring at the ship.

"Look, they're back," she whispered, nodding her head towards the opening. The two walked over to the exit, where they stood side by side.

"Hello!" the Doctor greeted, trying to seem as happy as he could at seeing them again. "Did you want to show us this? It's very nice."

Danni shook her head. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"Trying to be friendly," he explained. "You were always the polite one, isn't that what we're supposed to do?"

"Not to creepy ghosts, no," she replied. "Remember Cardiff?"

She had a point. And, as one of the ghosts turned to grabbed the fire axe off the wall, he really felt rather foolish. "You see? Wrong again. I'm going to take one from the bag," he explained. She shook her head.

"Just move," she snapped and he followed her down the stairs. The ghosts seemed to see that they were trying to make their escape and, as the one with the axe quickly followed and took a swing at them, the other took a harpoon off the wall and aimed at them.

"Alright, perhaps I was a little condescending," he admitted, hands up in the air. "I'm not used to the whole being polite thing. That's normally her job."

The ghost with the harpoon aimed, but before he could fire a bold came from behind the Doctor, knocking it to the side and sending the harpoon wildly to the side. The Doctor spun, alarmed, to see Danni holding a gun. His eyes widened in alarm and she nodded towards the exit.

"Run!"

He followed her out into another hallway. "A gun?!" he exclaimed. "Since when-" they turned another bend, "-since when do you have a gun?"

"Since I spent seven years running away from Missy!" she retorted. "Are you really going to do this now?"

"But-But you never liked guns," he protested. "It's- It doesn't make any sense!"

"I have a gun because if I didn't I'd be dead," she snapped sharply. "As you would be, as I shot the bloody harpoon gun _away_ from you! It is what it is!"

He was right. She didn't like the gun, but she knew that she needed it. It was her ticket to freedom. It kept her safe, and she wasn't about to give it up just because he didn't like soldiers. When she felt safe enough without it she'd put it down. Until then it stayed in her coat pocket.

He pulled them both behind one of the large joins to hide them, peaking around to see if he could see the ghosts. He couldn't, so he turned back to her. "You don't need a gun," he argued. "No one needs a gun. Only people who can't reason need guns, that's why the military uses them!"

"I need-" she started loudly before catching herself. She lowered her voice. "I need a gun because I'm not safe," she hissed. "Until this universe is free from Missy, I am _not_ safe."

"I won't let her near you again," he promised and she shook her head.

"Doesn't mean she won't get me," she replied. "It doesn't mean that she won't keep trying. She's never going to just… to just let me go like that."

He was stopped from arguing further as a hand reached through the wall at them. The Doctor grabbed her, chucking her away from the wall and darting back himself as one of the ghosts walked through. They turned to run to see the Victorian dressed one come out of the floor.

The Doctor grabbed Danni's hand, holding it for the first time without a thought. "Run!" he demanded. She didn't protest and they headed away from both ghosts. "And put that gun away!"

"Fine!" she exclaimed, shoving it into her pocket. At the end of the hallway a door opened and a group of people were stood inside, quickly motioning them forward.

"Found the crew!" Danni cried as they rushed inside. The door was quickly shut behind them, but the two of them pressed up to the window to watch the ghosts. They didn't try and get in, both just staring inside before turning and slowly walking away.

"What are you?" the Doctor muttered to himself.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?"

They both turned to look at the five people that were all in the small room. They were stood with the backs to the far wall, all dressed in some sort of military-style clothing, all except one who seemed like he should have been in an office rather than in an underwater base.

The Doctor pulled out his psychic paper, holding it up for all to see. "This is Danielle, I'm the Doctor," he explained.

The office man frowned. "You're from UNIT," he read off.

"Well, if that's what it says," the Doctor agreed.

"Been a while, but I guess so," Danni added and he nodded in agreement. They'd both worked for UNIT now, and it was quite the easy cover to fall under. Especially considering neither of them had quit.

The office man straightened. "I'm Pritchard, this is Bennett," he introduced, motioning to the man with glasses on his right. Who didn't have a chance to speak as the woman to _his_ right pushed in front of them both, grinning from ear to ear.

"O'Donnell!" she greeted excitedly, taking hold of the Doctor's hand to shake vigorously before doing the same to Danni. "Are you really the Doctor and Danni?" she asked. "I'm a huge fan!" She giggled happily before remembering she was at work. She pulled back, clearing her throat. "I mean, er, you know... Nice work."

She ducked out of the way as the man to Pritchard's left waved his hand. "Tim Lunn, I sign for Cass," he explained, motioning to the woman to his side, who nodded.

The Doctor didn't normally have time for introductions, but it was usually better to know who to address when he needed answers, so he let it slide. "Tell me, what about those things out there? What are they? Why are they trying to kill us?"

"Well, they're er, they're ghosts," Bennet explained with a little bit of a stutter. He obviously wasn't fairing well under the circumstances.

Danni rolled her eyes. "Of course they're not," she snapped. "Ghosts aren't real."

Cass started signing. "Cass is saying..." Tim started.

The Doctor held his hand up. "Thank you, but I actually don't need your help. I can speak sign. To prove his point he turned to her, signing as he spoke. "Go ahead."

Cass looked a little confused, but then started to sign her answer. It became very clear very quickly that the Doctor had absolutely no idea what she was trying to communicate.

"No, no, actually, I can't." He turned to Danni. "It's been deleted for semaphore," he explained. She shook her head.

"Honestly," she muttered before pushing in front of him. She smiled at Cass, who looked just as confused as she had before the Doctor had told her to start

 _I'm sorry. He's an idiot. Could you start again?_

The Doctor frowned as Cass smiled in amusement. "You know sign?"

"Yes, I know sign," Danni replied without taking her eyes off the other woman.

"What did you say?"

"That you were very clever most of the time, but this was alluding you," she explained offhandedly. He nodded, smirking smugly and straightening slightly. Danni motioned for Cass to carry on and she did.

"Um… One of the ghosts is their commanding… no, sorry _was_ their commanding officer. The other… is that..." The Doctor watched her motion back. "Yes, moley… the other moley guy is new, though, they don't know who that is."

Danni placed her fingertips to her chin, hand flat, moving it away to sign her thanks. Cass nodded in reply and Danni stepped back to the Doctor.

"When did you learn sign language?" he asked her.

"Who's the moley guy?" Danni asked in reply.

"He's from Tivoli," he replied dismissively. "I don't remember you knowing sign language."

Danni's teeth were clenched together as she smiled at the crew. They were all looking at them expectantly. Well, most of them were. O'Donnell still looked a little starstruck. "You're asking this _now?_ " she asked through her clenched jaw.

"I'm just surprised, that's all," the Doctor replied. She sighed.

"I was in captivity for a long time. What was I supposed to do, gardening?" She straightened her jacket. "I read. A _lot_. And I learnt a fair few sign languages. I thought they'd come in handy to signal my way out."

The way her voice dropped slightly told him that he had pushed a bit too far, but he had hoped it would have been any other reason but that. He'd once regenerated knowing all of the words to every song by the Rolling Stones. "Sorry," he muttered and she shrugged.

"We've got aliens invading an underwater base. Probably should focus on that."

Bennett walked over to the door, looking out of the window. "See? I told you he was an alien. Didn't I say that?" he said to this crew mates as he checked to see if the figures had gone.

"Weird thing is, they're not violent. They're too cowardly. They wouldn't say boo to a goose. They're more likely to give the goose their car keys and bank details," the Doctor explained. "When did they first appear?"

O'Donnell immediately jumped forward, eager to show the two Time Lords that she knew what she was doing. "Oh, did you see that spaceship in the hangar? Yeah, we found that on the lake bed and we'd just got it on board and one of the engines started up and then Moran got..." Her enthusiasm dropped as she remembered what had happened. "Moran was killed."

Cass started signing to them. "Then they appeared," Lunn translated. "And pretty much straight away started trying to kill us. So we grabbed what we could and we were looking for somewhere to hide, and that's when we realised the ghosts couldn't come in here."

Danni looked around the room. "So, what we have are ghosts who are scared of Faraday cages?" she asked. "For some reason I just don't think that works. Maybe they're holograms. No, that doesn't make sense either."

"So, who's in charge now?" the Doctor asked the group. "I need to know who to ignore."

"That would be me," Lunn translated out of habit before catching himself. "Her," he corrected, nodding in Cass's direction.

Pritchard, the man who really shouldn't have been under water, stepped forward. "Actually, that would be me," he told the Doctor, holding out a business card. "I represent Vector Petroleum. We've obtained the mining rights to the oil."

Danni took the card off him before snorting, chucking it over and onto the floor. "Alright sweetie," she said almost mockingly. The Doctor had to agree; this man didn't look like he could lead a horse to water.

"The oil?" the Doctor asked as the man picked his card off the floor, shooting Danni a rather annoyed look. "Where are we?"

"This used to be a military training site," Bennett explained. "There was a dam overlooking it, but the dam burst and the valley was submerged."

"Then twenty years ago, we discovered a massive oil reservoir underneath it," Pritchard finished, grinning as sickly as a greedy man could. Danni rolled her eyes and turned to Cass.

 _Don't worry. The Doctor isn't that kind of idiot._

Cass seemed to catch herself laughing as Lunn hid his own smirk. The Doctor made a note to ask her about perhaps teaching him once they were home. The lights darkened and then immediately brightened, though, pulling his attention to the room itself.

" _Good morning. Entering day mode,_ " a female computer voice declared.

"Okay, it's morning," O'Donnell said in relief. "We can go outside now." The rest of the crew seemed just as pleased with the development, heading to the door and leaving the two Time Lords slightly bewildered.

"Morning?" Danni asked.

"Yeah, we're too far below the surface for daylight, so we have to demarcate artificial days and nights," Bennett explained as O'Donnell opened the door.

"That's clever," Danni said with a nod of approval.

"I'd like to have a further look at that spaceship," the Doctor told then all, "but what about those things that aren't ghosts?"

"Oh, it's all right. They only come out at night," O'Donnell reassured him before the crew headed back out into the halls.

"Ghosts who have a sense of time?" Danni asked, looking up at her husband. "You know, I'm a little disappointed."

"How so?" he asked her.

"You've still not taken me to see actual ghosts," she told him and he couldn't help but smirk back at the one she shot him. "Honestly, Doctor, you call yourself impressive."

"Oh, you're just as cheeky as you always were, aren't you?" he commented and she nodded.

"More fun that way," she retorted. They followed the crew out, quickly overtaking them until they were walking at the front.

"If whatever they are," the Doctor started.

"They're ghosts," Pritchard told him with the certainty of an idiot.

"They're not ghosts," the Doctor corrected. "Have been trying to kill you, why haven't you abandoned the base?"

"That was my call," the office man told them. "We've got about a trillion dollars worth of mining equipment here. We're not just going to abandon it." Both the Doctor and Danni came to a stop, causing the others to follow suit. Pritchard looked defensive. "What? If it all goes pear-shaped, it's not them that lose a bonus."

Danni smiled, nodding. "You see, that's why you're not in charge," she crowed before shooting him a big grin. "You're an arse." His eyes widened in surprise but her smile didn't disappear. In fact, she reached out and took his hand in both of hers. "Don't worry, it happens to the best of us," she reassured him before grimacing. "Actually, no, it doesn't," she continued, embarrassed. "It just happens to arseholes. But don't you worry, I'm sure we're going to work _really_ hard to save you now."

Her face dropped, along with his hand, and she turned to the Doctor. "This way, yes?"

He nodded, a little speechless at the sharpness of her voice. She started walking, her boots echoing in the silence that her little attack had brought on. He followed her, looking around the hanger, trying to bring them all back on track.

A thought occurred to him. "Come to mention it, why is there a Faraday cage on the base?" he asked.

"It's the mining equipment. It runs on nuclear fission. The Faraday cage has been lined with lead to act as a shelter in the event of a radiation leak," Bennett exclaimed.

"So, we are fighting an unknown homicidal force that has taken the form of your commanding officer and a cowardly alien, underwater, in a nuclear reactor," the Doctor summarised.

"Sounds about right for us, really, doesn't it?" Danni asked in reply. He couldn't help but agreed.

"Anything else I should know? Someone got a peanut allergy, or something?" he asked the crew, to which he got blank stares in reply. He'd expected that, so he turned and headed into the large ship, Danielle following behind.

"It all started with this ship," he told her, looking around the rather small room. "This is where the answer will be."

She nodded in agreement, looking at the symbols on the wall again. She had scanned them, hadn't she? What was the result?

She reached into the pocket to pull out her screwdriver as the Doctor crouched to the ground, opening up a hatch he saw. Inside was a power cell, one of two that should have been there. It had been removed, along with whatever was on top of the hatch to begin with. Danni moved to his side as he stood up.

"It's been pillaged?" she asked him. "But what was here to begin with?"

"Well, that's the question," he replied before looking out at the humans who were stood, waiting. "What's happened to the stuff you've removed?" he asked the sea of baffled faces. "This is for long-haul flights. There should be a suspended-animation chamber for the pilot right here. Plus, one of the power cells is missing."

Pritchard perked up. "Power cell?" he asked before jogging up the stairs to join them.

"Yeah. You can see the casing is empty."

Danni glanced over as O'Donnell joined them, catching Lunn and Cass fighting. "What's wrong?" she called over. "Lover's tiff?"

Lunn seemed to become a bit flustered. "She won't let me look inside the spaceship. She says it's not safe," he explained. "I'm saying it's not safe out here."

"Maybe you should listen to her," Danni replied, signing along with her words so Cass could see. "The Doctor's constantly running into situations I wish he wouldn't. I'd rather he'd tried to stay safe as well."

"I'm busy trying to keep all of us safe," the Doctor reminded her.

"I know," she replied. "But a girl can dream, can't she?"

Pritchard stood up from looking in the hatch. "I imagine they're pretty valuable," he commented.

"What?" the Doctor asked sharply.

"I mean powerful," the man corrected himself.

"No you don't, you mean valuable," Danni retorted. "Don't try and hide behind curiosity when you'd happily let these people die for your _bonus."_

Danni headed back out of the ship before she got really cross with him. Honestly, humans could be the absolute worst in the universe sometimes. Everyone else seemed lovely, and O'Donnell was quite cute in her fangirling, but Pritchard was already rubbing her up the wrong way. Perhaps she should have stayed in the TARDIS after all.

The Doctor watched her go, his own annoyance flaring at how Pritchard seemed to be annoying her. "Well, they can zap a vessel from one side of the galaxy to the other," he told the other man, answering his cover question. "So, you know, take a wild stab in the dark."

"And the missing one must still be out there," Pritchard mused.

"Yes, well, otherwise..." the Doctor started before realising he really didn't want to answer all these stupid questions. He turned to O'Donnell, who did actually seem pretty competent. "Sorry, why is this man still talking to me?"

The Doctor didn't care when the man walked out of the ship, obviously a little offended. Good. He'd offended his wife. The Doctor couldn't care less.

"We haven't removed anything. There hasn't been time," O'Donnell explained. It made no sense, but he could tell she wasn't lying. The Doctor walked down the stairs and out of the ship.

Danni watched Pritchard dart behind the ship and most likely out of the room. She shook her head but didn't speak up. He was probably going to see if he could spot the power cell before someone could take it off him. She wasn't too bothered. They were in the 22nd century, they most likely wouldn't be able to do anything with it anyway.

"So what have we got?" the Doctor mused out loud. She turned her attention back to him. She always loved to watch him work. "Moran dies, and then those things appear. They can walk through walls. They only come out at night and they're sort of see-through."

He'd walked away from them as he followed his train of thought, but she could see the look of realisation appearing on his face. "Doctor, no," she started as he spun around. They locked eyes and he looked positively gleeful.

"Danielle, I think I've done it," he exclaimed, a skip in his step as he walked back to her side. "How's _that_ for impressive?" He didn't wait for her answer, instead turning to Cass. "Where's your bridge?"

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Not much to say on it, to be honest XD_

 _We now have a Facebook Page! It's called **The Time Child Saga** , feel free to join if you want! Can't promise it'll be as active as my Tumblr ( **dannifielding** *plugplug*), but we can share the love, right? XD_

 _Reviews!_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Yep! Always checking. It'll take a long time to get over that. As for the regeneration, well, we may be waiting a little while for that ;)_

 _ **LoveandAngst** \- Of course! Thanks sweetie :D_

 _ **bored411** \- Thanks sweetie! The Doctor will come to be a bit nicer to her, but Clara has officially left the TARDIS!_

 _ **Lena 'Slipstream' Oxton** \- We will still see Clara, but she will no longer be a companion and therefore won't be coming back to the TARDIS team :)_

 _ **Authora97** \- Thanks sweetie! I thought the same. Something big had just happened, it doesn't just go straight back to normal after that. As for forgiving her, I can very much promise Danni won't ever forgive her. In fact, that's what will make Season 10 so very interesting ;)_


	13. The Ghosts

"They're ghosts!"

Danni shook her head. "No, they're not," she told the Doctor. He had such a happy grin on his face, one that said he was taking so much pleasure out of finding something new, but he needed to be realistic. "There's no such thing as ghosts. There never has been."

They had quickly made their way to the bridge even though there were no longer any 'ghosts' to worry about. The crew had automatically headed to their respective areas at the controls, which she had found pretty endearing. She and the Doctor had taken up residence at the head of the room, but while he paced eagerly through the people, she leant against the wall.

"Yes, well, there was no such thing as, as socks or smartphones and badgers until there suddenly were," he reasoned with a little stutter as his brain tried to justify his new belief. It was just so exciting! She had been asking for real ghosts for so long, now, and it was the perfect time to show her them. To prove that he had been listening, that he was who he said he was.

"So, you're suggesting that suddenly, in the 22nd century, in an underwater base on Earth, ghosts suddenly decided to exist?" Danni countered, a lot more cynical than he was. It was all just a little bit _too_ suspicious. Not only had ghosts never existed, but each and every time they had come even close to them being real, the Doctor spent all of his time trying to prove that they weren't. And now he was _suddenly_ happy to declare them real.

"Well, what else could they be?" he countered, rushing back over to her. He could see her listening, but desperately trying not to engage with his enthusiasm. He thought again about the gun in her pocket. This all needed to change. "They're not holograms, they're not Flesh Avatars, they're not Autons," he rambled off. "They're not digital copies bouncing around…" he trailed off as her eyes widened slightly. That may not have been the best example. "No, these people are literally, actually, dead." He turned, facing the crew. "Wow," he breathed, amazed. "This is, it's amazing! I've never actually met a proper ghost."

Cass signed angrily and Lunn didn't need to watch her sign to know what she was trying to say. "Moran was our friend," he snapped out.

Danni rolled her eyes, walking over to her husband who still looked confused no one was excited as he was. "He doesn't mean it," she told them, but specifically Cass who she signed to as well. "He just gets excited when there's something new. He's not trying to be cruel, he's…" She frowned, waving her hand. "Oh, how do you…" she mumbled to herself. She closed her hand into a fist, circling it on her chest. "Sorry," she apologised to Cass before turning to Lunn. "Can you tell her that's not trying to be insensitive, and he will try and do whatever he can to help, but he may not be very tactful, please?"

Lunn quickly signed that to Cass, who looked over the Doctor for a moment before nodding, accepting the apology and the help that was being offered.

The Doctor moved slightly closer to his wife. "See? The polite one," he commented. She shrugged, although the little amused smile that tried to appear on her face said that she agreed. "We just have to work on being the polite one without a gun."

"No gun, no Danni," she replied firmly.

"We'll work on it," the Doctor replied. "But don't you see what this means?" he asked her. "Death! It was the one thing that unified every single living creature in the universe, and now it's gone!" He knew that, despite the way she seemed to be trying to pretend she wasn't interested, she was just as intrigued as he was. He turned to the crew, none of whom looked particularly thrilled. "How can you just sit there?" he exclaimed. "Don't you want to go out there right now, wrestle them to the ground and ask them questions until your throat falls out? What's death like? Does it hurt? Do you still get hungry? Do you miss being alive? Why can you only handle metal objects?" He turned back to his wife. "Oh, I didn't know I'd noticed that."

She opened her mouth to reply, but he couldn't contain his eagerness and she couldn't take that away. She watched him be downright adorable, trying to calm himself down in the same way she'd only seen him do a couple of times before. Her lip, beyond her control, tilted up in one corner. A genuine smile was trying to break through and she kind of wanted to let it. There was nothing wrong with letting herself be happy, right? It's not like Missy would embarrass herself this badly, even if she was pretending to be the Doctor.

Just as she started to feel safe and secure in her belief that she was really home, though, the lights suddenly went out. Her hand went straight to her pocket, automatically checking for her gun even if she didn't get it out. She wasn't exactly a fan of it, but it had kept her safe and she wasn't about to give it up just yet.

She felt slightly better, though, when the Doctor was immediately back by her side. "What's going on?" she asked as O'Donnell jumped up from her chair.

" _Good evening. Entering night mode_ ," the computer declared.

"That's not right. We're switching back into night mode again. This can't happen!" she cried, sitting down at the main controls to try and fight the automatic change over.

Danni looked up at the Doctor. "Ghosts that only come out at night _controlling_ when night is?"

"Also didn't expect that," he replied. "Lots of things I didn't expect." He grinned at her. "It's a good day!"

The sound of something chiming deeply echoed through the air. Both the Doctor and Danni fell silent, eyes widening as they recognised the noise.

"Er, what's doing that?" Bennett asked, confused.

"The TARDIS," Danni breathed before turning, running out of the room safe in the knowledge that her husband would quickly catch up.

The TARDIS was in a state when they opened the door. The lights were dim and red, there was smoke billowing around like some overactive fog machine. Both of them ran straight to the console.

"What's wrong?!" Danni cried, checking the monitor to see if she could get any indication of why their home was crying out so painfully. She'd forgotten how horrible it felt to hear her in pain.

"It must be the ghosts," the Doctor replied. He also rushed around the centre console, looking for a way to elevate her pain. "That's why she was upset when we got here."

"Because they're dead and yet aren't?" Danni guessed and he nodded.

"The ghosts are aberrations. A splinter of time in the skin. They're unnatural. She wants to get away from them."

"So how do we help?" she asked him.

He grabbed a large looking leaver, turning it anti-clockwise. Immediately the lights all came back on and the cloister bell stopped ringing. "Put the handbrake on."

Danni stared, incredulous. "What, that's it?" she asked. He nodded.

"That's it."

"I could have done that!" she cried out, almost annoyed at the simple solution. She hadn't even considered just changing a setting. She sighed. "Well, as long as she's okay. Come on."

She started heading back towards the door. "Danielle?"

She paused, glancing over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

The Doctor hadn't moved from the console, worrying his hands like a man who was about to have a conversation he really didn't want to have. "About the gun…"

"No," she replied sharply back. Her back straightened. "I'm keeping it. It's not up for discussion."

"You don't _need_ it, though," he protested. "You're safe…"

"No, I'm not!" she snapped. She waved her hand to the door, indicating the trouble they'd _just_ run through. "We're clearly _not_ safe! I'm keeping the gun!"

She turned her back on him, straightening her jacket out so that she could feel the weight of it hit against her thigh. It was still there.

"Alright, alright," the Doctor replied, trying to calm her down and stop her running off. "Can you just answer one question?"

She gritted her teeth, before taking a deep breath. "What?"

"What's the gun made out of?"

Her frustration left her for a moment, replaced by confusion at the strange question. She turned back around and he could see that she had no idea why he was asking her. "Well, it's from Earth," she explained. "So, mainly, steel. I think there's some aluminium…" she trailed off as she realised the point he was trying to make. Her annoyance flared up again, all the more because he was _right_. "Metal," she stated. "It's made of metal, which is the only thing the bloody- the bloody ghosts can touch! The homicidal ghosts." She ran her fingers through her hair, grasping tightly for a moment. "And they like guns, because they shot at us with a fucking harpoon!"

The Doctor didn't say anything, but he shot her an apologetic smile. For some reason it felt like a dirty move to play. She wasn't going to give the gun up because she thought it was the right thing to do, she was giving it up because she knew keeping it wouldn't be a smart move. She wanted the gun.

"And, while the sonic screwdriver is made of metal, it's not like they can sonic us to death." She sighed heavily. " _Fine_." She stormed over to the console, pulling out the small gun and placing it onto the console top. She then turned to the Doctor. "Just this once," she warned him. "When we get back, I'm getting it back."

He nodded quickly, hands up. She took his silent answer as agreement and relaxed slightly. "We'd better head back," she said softly. "Come on."

He was right behind her as she left the TARDIS, but before shutting the door he dipped his head back in. "You know what to do, right?" he called to the TARDIS. He closed the door and hoped that, when they did get back, the gun would be gone.

He hated the fact that she'd had to adapt so much to survive. He hated the fact that she'd had to change so much, because he knew she felt almost as strongly as he had about guns. What was worse, though, was that he was almost certain that she still felt the same. His Danielle wouldn't carry a gun because she wanted to.

 _~0~0~0~_

"I'd love to work for UNIT."

Danni paused, looking over her shoulder at Bennett. She and the marine geologist had been sent to the mess hall to collect whatever supplies were left. To be honest it had already been cleared out, but she found a couple of packets of food that would help.

"Earth's first line of defence, and all. I'm probably not suited, though. Not much of a fighter. More of a bleeder."

Danni caught sight of the figure facing away from them in what appeared to be a dry suit. Pritchard finally showing his face again. "Nothing wrong with not being a fighter," she replied. "I'm more of a lover myself, and let me tell you," she smirked at him. "It's a _lot_ more fun." She shut the doors to the cupboard. "'Bout time you showed up," she called to Pritchard. "You could have just picked up one of the calls, you know?"

Bennett, who hadn't noticed that his boss had appeared, frowned at the other man. "Why are you in a dry suit? Where have you been?"

"Doesn't matter," Danni dismissed. "He's here, we can get going."

Bennett nodded, calling up to the bridge that they'd found the missing man. He couldn't tell if O'Donnell was relieved or not, but he couldn't really tell a lot about how she was feeling. He had never been good at reading people.

Danni watched Pritchard, who slightly swayed on the spot. That wasn't right. He was a man who liked the small amount of power he had, she'd already worked that out in the brief time they'd known each other. He should have been telling them off for ordering him about.

"Something's wrong," she said lowly, walking around the counter and next to Bennett. "Got your knickers in a twist?" she called over. He didn't answer, or turn around. "I mean, I know I was mean but…" They were both startled by the thud of something heavy on the window to the underwater town. There was a body floating in the water, with no helmet, slowly rotating.

"Man overboard," Bennett whispered, horrified before realising he needed to jump into action. "Man overboard! We need a rescue te-"

Danni cut him off, pressing her hand against his stomach to move him back towards the counter. "Doctor!" she called out. "It's Pritchard!"

The figure slowly turned around to reveal the sunken, black empty eye sockets that the other two ghosts had. His mouth was also moving, speaking silent words and now he was moving they could see the blur around his edges, like he wasn't fully there.

The Doctor, Cass and Lunn all appeared, dashing into the room and coming to a stop with the other two. Danni immediately moved over to the Doctor's side.

"What do we do?" she asked him lowly. Before he could even suggest anything, Pritchard decided that he'd been standing around long enough. He started walking towards them, reaching down only to pick up a discarded chair.

Danni's hand immediately went to her pocket, which was now void of anything that could actually help them. "You know what would be _really_ handy right now?" she asked the Doctor out of the corner of her mouth.

"What would you do? Shoot the ghost?"

"You got any better ideas, Spaceman?" she shot back.

He felt rather guilty that he was happier to hear that little nickname from her than the lights coming on, signalling Day Mode was now back on again. She'd not called him it since she'd returned, nor had she really addressed him as anything but 'Doctor'. He had been surprised how much he had missed something as silly as a pet name. It was quite sentimental, really, wasn't it? Was he sentimental now?

"That will do quite nicely," he replied as the ghost disappeared and the chair dropped back to the floor.

She rolled her eyes. "Always by the skin of your teeth. Some things never change."

He nudged her in the side. "You know that's how you like it," he purred. "Come on."

It didn't take them long to find out what happened to Pritchard, and it wasn't pretty. He had gone out into the lake to search for the missing power cell. The ghosts trapped him in the airlock and had drowned him.

The Doctor turned away from the screen before the man died, troubled by what he was seeing. Sure, they had been a little kill-crazy but he had hoped that they'd be a little fun. Once again, this wasn't fun at all.

"They're working out how to use the base against us. Altering the time settings so they can go about uninhibited, opening the airlocks. They're learning." He glanced at Danni as he went to start pacing. She was still staring at the screen, frozen in place, eyes slightly wide and barely breathing. He frowned. "Danni?"

He reached out to gently rest his hand on her elbow, but she jolted the moment she felt him touch her. She moved out of his reach, spinning on the spot to face him. Her lips were pressed together but her chest almost heaved as if she should have been panting. She was terrified. Or, rather, she had seen something that had terrified her.

His hearts ached. "What did she do?" he asked gently, hopefully coaxing it out so she didn't have to remember it alone.

Danni, on the other hand, didn't want to reply. The panic was clawing at her as if it wanted to drown her, which was rather cruel considering the memories she had almost been thrown into. She didn't want to reply because, if this ended up being some rather elaborate fantasy, she didn't want to give Missy the satisfaction of knowing what she had done had affected her captive.

"Um," Danni replied quietly, almost inaudibly. "She… She liked to get me in the bathtub, and…"

And that was it. The Doctor watched her close down, pushing the memory away, forcing it out of her mind. It was obviously a well-used move on her part because it happened in a matter of seconds. But the implications in the few words she had spoken were enough for him to form a horrific image that he wanted to forget almost instantly.

"She's not here," he reassured her yet again. "She killed you once, she won't do it again."

Danni just nodded, swallowing heavily. She didn't correct him, or even look him in the eye. Now was not the time to talk about what had happened next. She'd get around to it, but they were currently being hunted by ghosts. That had to take the priority.

She looked at Cass, who looked as uncomfortable with the small exchange as everyone else. "You're in charge, what do you want to do?" she asked.

"We abandon the base," Lunn translated for the new commanding officer. "Topside can send down a whole team of marines or ghost-busters or whatever."

"Wait, wait," the Doctor quickly started, stepping forward. They couldn't leave yet. There was so much to learn. They couldn't exactly leave the ghosts to the not quite at all capable hands of UNIT.

Cass, though, wasn't happy to be questioned. She stormed over, glaring up at the Doctor, her signing as angry as she looked.

"I can't force you to leave," Lunn translated. "So you can stay and do the whole cabin in the woods thing and get killed or drowned, if you want. But my first priority is to protect my crew."

Danni stepped forward, feeling a little less confident than she had a moment ago. But, she didn't want to come across as vulnerable, she hated feeling like she wasn't in control of herself. "That's fine," she told the woman, letting Lunn sign for her. "You're right, your crew needs to be safe. But we can't just leave these ghosts, or whatever they are, wandering around. But you should leave."

She could see the Doctor looking at her, waiting for her to explain why she was happy to send everyone away. "We'll do better on our own," she reasoned. "No distractions."

O'Donnell, under Cass's orders, grabbed the old-style telephone from the console and called the people in the base above them. "Topside, Topside, this is Lance Corporal Alice O'Donnell from Drum Control. Over."

The phone seemed pretty pointless considering the voice came over the loud speaker in reply. Danni couldn't help but think a microphone would have been the smarter option.

" _Drum Control, this is Topside. We have received your message. Submarine on its way. Over._ "

"Repeat, Topside. Over," O'Donnell requested, the news a surprise to everyone on the base.

" _We've received your request for a rescue sub. It's two minutes away. Over."_

"Topside, who did you speak to and when was this request made? Over."

" _Drum Control, it was in Morse code and arrived maybe half an hour ago. Said it was urgent, comms were down, two crew members critically ill, full paramedic team requested. Over._ "

In unison, the two Time Lords strode over to the console, but Danni was the one who reached out first to O'Donnell. "Here, give me that," she commanded. O'Donnell, who really was out of her depth, handed the handset to Danni.

"Topside, this is Danni Fielding," she said to the man on the other end. "Your resident, rather charming and incredibly good-looking Time Lord. Give my code a look up – four three Theta, Theta, one, one, Sigma. Over."

" _Mrs… Mrs Fielding, what are you…_ " the man stuttered out, obviously familiar with her.

"I appreciate the fanservice, but let's save it for another day, shall we? You need to call the submarine back."

" _But why would we…"_

"Because none of the crew requested it," she replied. "We're fighting something rather trigger-happy down here that wants more bodies. No one is to be sent down without express permission from me or the Doctor. Is that understood?"

" _Mrs Fielding…"_

"Are you arguing with me?" she snapped, angry. "You know who I am, you know my orders are not to be ignored. No one is to come down here without our express permission, is that understood?"

" _Yes Mrs Fielding._ "

"That's more like it." She slammed the handset down before looking at Lunn. "Did you translate all that?"

He nodded, also translating her words now. "I-I did," he stuttered out.

She grinned, turning to Cass. "Don't let them give you crap," she signed.

"What did you do that for?" Bennett asked her.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. Not only could they not see the rather large issue with the submarine coming to the base, but Danielle had been rather authoritative and even he hadn't realised how much he liked that. Taking control was definitely something new to this body. He rather liked it.

"Well, it's like she said, isn't it?" he replied. "None of us sent the message, did we? So that means that the ghosts sent it, which means they want that crew down here."

"Why would they do that?" Lunn asked for Cass.

"Well, I don't know, but I'm pretty certain it's not so they can all form a boy band," the Doctor retorted. Danielle was right, this would really have been easier to solve if they had no distractions. "Okay. We solve this on our own. The ghosts can only come out at night so they change the base's time settings. Why? What's different at night?"

"It's mainly atmospheric. The lights are dim, the noise from the engines is muffled," O'Donnell explained.

"No. Something, something else."

"The diagnostic sweep," Lunn translated. "When the systems are checked, that stops at night to save power."

"What systems specifically?"

"Life support, the locks," O'Donnell said. "They're electromagnetic. They have to be secured in case of flooding, so throughout the day, they're checked, one by one, every few seconds."

"So they don't like the electromagnetic locks? But that doesn't make any sense, does it?" Danni asked, looking up to the Doctor. "The Faraday would be the perfect home for them, wouldn't it? Then why can't they enter?"

He didn't reply, instead he walked over to the map of the base on the bridge wall. "The answer is in there somewhere, I can smell it," he muttered to himself.

"This is all just guess work," Danni said with a heavy sigh. "Without the ability to talk to any of the ghosts, to ask them what they want, how are we even supposed to stop them?"

The Doctor grinned. She always said the right thing. His perfect muse. He turned back around, still smiling. "O'Donnell," he started, walking over to the woman who stood to attention at the sound of her name. "Excellent work, returning the base to day mode."

The fangirl in her appeared and she couldn't help but grin, dipping her head. "Shut up," she said, equal parts embarrassed and overjoyed at the praise. "It was nothing…" She looked up at him. "You really think so?"

He nodded. "Now put it back into night mode."

Her happy look was quickly swept away by one of complete disbelief. "What?"

"Danielle is right, we know nothing about them," he replied. "It's what is getting us killed. Well, I won't run. Not anymore. So, O'Donnell, kindly put the base back into night mode." He could see the protest that were about to be thrown at him. "We want to know what these ghosts are after? We ask them." He turned to Danielle, who instead had a little smirk on her face, one that she was trying to suppress. "We're going to do the impossible. We're going to capture a ghost."

She walked over to his side, her grin just growing. "Ghostbusters?" she asked, reminding him of an old house in the 1970s.

"Even better," he promised.

 _~0~0~0~_

The plan was pretty simple. The ghosts would only come out at night, so night it had to be. It was really the only thing they had control over with them, but the Doctor put the crew and his wife to work trying to control where they went.

With a working theory that the Faraday cage could keep them out, they all ran through the halls to try and get them inside. The Doctor wasn't too happy at Danni being one of the lures, but then again he was never happy when she was in danger. He trusted her, though, and so he sent her off with the express instruction to never lose contact with him.

Of course, as she had known, nothing had come from the experience other than the fact that the ghosts really didn't seem to care about Lunn at all. It was something that the Doctor filed away for later. He had bigger problems to solve.

Danni's hologram was the last piece of the trail, and the ghosts proved to be just as stupid as he had suspected. They all walked straight through the doorway, the broken part of the barrier that was keeping them out, and the door was immediately closed behind them.

He couldn't resist from taunting them a little bit, but that was just what Danni expected of him. She had wanted to be by his side but he had been adamant; she needed to be on the bridge so that she could keep an eye on the hapless humans.

He had a point, but did he have to make it in front of the humans he was insulting? She'd not even tried to apologise for it. She had to pick her battles, sometimes.

She made sure she was at the front of the group, keeping a close eye on both the camera pointing at the Faraday cage door and the one the Doctor set up for when he got close.

" _Cass, are you seeing this?_ " the Doctor asked the officer, who was watching the screen closely. It was quite ingenious, really. Cass could read lips, the ghosts were murmuring silently, it was definitely something they should have tried from the start.

Cass frowned, leaning closer to the screen to try and see more clearly. "She says she can't see them properly," Lunn translated. "The glass is too thick and they're too far away."

" _Open the door._ "

"What?" O'Donnell asked as Danni pushed her out of the way.

"You want to run that by me again, Spaceman?" she asked.

" _They don't have any weapons or access to any of the controls…_ "

"We don't know what they can do!" Danni protested. "There's still metal in there. You can't be serious!"

" _They can't hurt me,_ " he promised her.

"You don't know that," Danni insisted, although she knew that there was no other way. She knew, just as much as he did, that there was a chance that the key to the ghosts was in whatever they were saying. She also knew that, logically, he was also right in the fact that the ghosts weren't going to hurt him. She just… she never liked to see him get hurt. She didn't want to lose him _again._

"Open the door," she said heavily. O'Donnell looked at her, making sure that she was serious, before unlocking the door. The Doctor quickly nipped inside, closing the door behind him so the ghosts couldn't get out. With no camera feed in the cage itself – which Danni did think was a little bit of an oversight – they all focused in on the feed from the sonic sunglasses.

Her breath caught at Moran stepped closer, reaching towards the Doctor. She didn't see what he did, but by the way the camera moved, it wasn't good. Her breath caught. This was a stupid idea. She should have _never_ agreed to let him go on his own!

" _Cold…_ " the Doctor wheezed before the feed suddenly straightened again. " _Isn't it?_ " he continued, his voice back to normal and a little bit arrogant. He was fine. She was going to smack him. " _Take away your weapons and you're not so scary, are you? Is that better, Cass?_ "

Danni turned, walking away from the screen to try and calm herself down, hands on her hips as she focused on the map on the wall. Did he really have to show off?

"She says they're saying the same thing, the same phrase, over and over," Lunn translated. "They're saying the dark. The score." Cass shook her head, changing her mind. "No, the sword. The for sale? No, the forsaken. The temple."

" _What?_ " the Doctor exclaimed.

"Yes, she's sure. The dark, the sword, the forsaken, the temple," Lunn confirmed. "Just that. Over and over."

" _Dark, sword, forsaken, temple. What does that mean?_ " the Doctor asked. The camera tilted and Danni stormed back over to the controls.

"Doesn't matter. We know now, so get out," she snapped.

" _What…_ "

"No!" she interrupted and the room looked rather uncomfortable at her sharp tone. "Get out, _now._ "

" _Bennett!_ " the Doctor cried instead. " _I need maps. I think I just worked out what our friend here is telling us._ "

He quickly darted out of the Faraday cage and Bennett looked to Danni, unsure of what he should do considering how angry she looked. She rolled her eyes and motioned to the door. "Go on then," she said, exasperated. "Fetch him the maps."

Bennett nodded. "Yes, yes, of course," he stuttered out before disappearing out the door. The Doctor came in a few moments later, pocketing his sunglasses. Danni walked over, looking at him expectantly.

"See? Told you I was fine," he offered in the hopes that it would calm her down. He wasn't too happy that she had been used at bait so he could understand her upset at him heading into the cage alone. He tried not to be too pleased. After all, if she really thought she wasn't really there, she wouldn't have been too concerned. "You had nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to…" she started, amazed before shaking her head. Arguing wasn't going to get her anywhere. "You know, you're doing a pretty good job at convincing me you're the Doctor," she told him sharply. "Missy wouldn't have been such a pissing idiot."

He grinned from ear to ear. "I've always been an idiot, my Pet," he told her. "And you've always been there to pull me back from it."

As much as she didn't want to, she smiled, nudging against him slightly. It was the closest to an actual hug she'd given him since they were reunited on Skaro, and it felt amazing.

 _~0~0~0~_

The Dark was Space.

The Sword was Orion's Sword

The Forsaken was the empty military town the base was next to.

The Temple was the church within the town.

So the signal that the ghosts were trying to transmit, the one that they wanted more and more bodies for to boost the signal, was pointing to whatever was in the church, in the underwater town. That had been simple enough for him to work out, and although Danni didn't exactly approve of the convoluted way he decided to tell everyone else, she did appreciate that he was trying to keep them all involved. He made such a good teacher when he actually tried that when he did, she could stand on the side-lines and do her favourite thing; watch him work.

His enthusiasm even in the face of something horrible was admirable. He never lost that part of him that mourned everyone that might have been lost but he just always liked to learn something new. He collected data, storing it away for future adventures, future times of crisis so he could save the next people slightly quicker.

He'd always tried to fight the goodness inside of him, but it's what made him 'the Doctor'. He did everything not for personal gain, but for the goodness of it. The knowledge he gained was a bonus, not a requirement.

It was so infectious, in fact, that the crew of the base couldn't resist him tempting them to stay, just like he tempted her to visit far off planets when maybe she wasn't in the mood for it.

She was going to have to be careful with that. One wrong move and she could land herself in a whole lot of trouble that she really wasn't ready to explain to him.

Bennett sent out the base's drone submarine into the town and directed it towards the church, where they found a large white casket. Even under the water it was obvious that it came from the spaceship.

It had a shine that was only apparent when it was underneath the artificial light of the base. And it was huge, longer than the tallest of them and definitely a couple humans deep.

"It's the suspended-animation chamber from the spaceship," the Doctor confirmed as Danni lowered her sonic screwdriver.

"And deadlocked," she added. She looked to her husband. "It can't be the pilot, can it? Because who would be flying the ship?"

"If this chap wasn't flying it, then who was?" he countered. She slowly walked around it, letting her fingers trail on the smooth surface.

"Deadlocking it suggests they don't want people getting in," she pointed out. "So whoever is inside must be a target to someone. Otherwise, why go through the trouble? When they crash then no one can help them."

"More questions. Everything I solve, just more questions." He walked away from the chamber, his eyebrows furrowed, his concentrating look on his face. "I have to go back to the beginning." He paused before turning to Danni. "We arrive, we see the ghosts. They don't kill us. They lead us here, they show us the spaceship. Then they try to kill us."

She nodded. "So it's the spaceship," she agreed, heading up the stairs and into the open room. The Doctor was just behind her. The only thing that stood out to both of them were the markings scratched into the wall. In unison they both pulled out their sonic devices, the Doctor looking through his sunglasses at them while Danni scanned them yet again.

"There's an electromagnetic field," she commented. "They're not translating because they're not exactly words, are they?"

He took his glasses off to look down at her. She wasn't looking at him for a suggestion, she was looking to him for confirmation. She knew she was right but she wanted a second opinion. She'd really learnt how to read the sonic since they'd been parted. All that learning and he'd missed it all.

Instead of replying, he turned to the crew who were waiting for them. "Lunn, translate for me," he commanded, dashing down to Cass. "Whenever we step outside, _you_ ," he pointed to Cass, who looked surprised, "are the smartest person in the room. So, tell me, what's weird about this? I know that it's all bonkers but, you know, when _you_ think about it, one thing keeps snagging in your mind. What is it?"

Cass took a moment to answer, as if she wasn't sure if she had it correct. "The markings on the inside of the spaceship."

"The markings on the inside of the spaceship," the Doctor replied, backing away and grinning. "Yes! Because Danielle is absolutely right! They're not just words, they're a localised and manufactured electromagnetic field, to be precise." He looked over at her. She was still stood in the spaceship, at the top of the stairs. He winked at her before turning back to the group. "The dark. The sword. The forsaken. The temple. When we heard the coordinates for the first time, did anyone expect them not to be that?" Lunn stopped signing, slowly holding his hand up but the Doctor ignored him. "No, exactly. Me neither. It's like we already knew, somehow. Like the words were already in us."

"So that writing is the coordinates?" O'Donnell asked.

"Everything we see or experience shapes us in some way. But these words actually rewrite the synaptic connections in your brain. They literally change the way you are wired," he explained.

"Something is messing with our brains?" Danni asked, striding down the stairs towards him. "Actually changing our brains? Because you _know_ I don't like…"

"I know, I know," he quickly reassured her, hands out in front of him.

"You _know_ that's what she does! She-She messes with my head and I can't tell if it's her or something else!"

"Danni," he said sharply, causing her to slam her lips closed as if she was conditioned to do so. He felt terrible for using it, but seeing the way Missy had affected her only over the short time they'd been together suggested it was going to work. "It's fine. It's more like… It's more like an earworm. Remember when I had Mysterious Girl by Peter Andre stuck in my head for two weeks?"

"Those were a long two weeks," she had to admit.

"Exactly! I was begging for the brush of Death's merciful hand," he replied. "Don't you see? These words are an earworm. A song you can't stop humming, even after you die."

"Okay, so, the writing is there to create beacons?" she asked. "People read it, then they die, then they kill more people to create more beacons while… while what? Whatever is inside sleeps the night away?"

"Waiting for their mates to pick the message up," the Doctor guessed. "My God. Every time I think it couldn't get more extraordinary, it surprises me. It's impossible. I hate it. It's evil. It's astonishing." He grinned. "I want to kiss it to death."

"Oi!" Danni exclaimed, completely and utterly offended. It was an involuntary action, one that surprised the happiness right off the Doctor's face and the annoyance off of hers. She hadn't expected to become so irrational over him getting so excited about a mysterious, probably murderous, creature. "Well," she said slowly. "I guess I'm a bit more territorial now."

The Doctor smirked. "We can play with that later."

An alarm started sounding, a deep constant tolling that was joined by the computer. "Attention, all crew. Evacuate base immediately. Emergency protocols have been initiated. This safety message was brought to you by Vector Petroleum. Fuel for our futures."

"Oh what now?!" Danni exclaimed. O'Donnell rushed to one of the terminals on the wall, quickly typing in her security code and bringing up the diagnostics.

"Oh, no. The ghosts tampering with the day-night settings caused a computer malfunction," she read off before looking over her shoulder at the Doctor. "Its first priority is to keep the reactor cool, so it's opening the hull doors and it's flooding the base."

Cass pointed at the screen before signing to Lunn. "Cass says, close the internal flood doors," he quickly translated. "That'll contain the water in the central corridor."

"Where's the TARDIS?" the Doctor asked.

"On the other side."

"Then that's where we need to be," Danni replied. "How long until the doors close?"

"Thirty seconds," O'Donnell replied.

"Alright, everybody move!" Danni commanded. They didn't need telling twice and the Doctor led the group out and down the hallway. The alarm continued to ring and the sound of rushing water began to get louder and louder.

Danni slowed down to usher Cass and Lunn down the last bit of the hallway. The flood door they were aiming for was just at the end. She just had to make sure that they reached them in time.

The Doctor stopped in between the two doors, looking back for his wife. The water was already gathering around his feet, she had to hurry.

"Doctor!"

He watched in horror as Danni skidded to a stop just before the door slammed down in front of her. He quickly turned around, rolling under the door on the other side just before it closed and water began pouring down the hallway between them. There was no getting back to her now.

He looked through the small circular window out and across to her. Her eyes were wide, she looked just as horrified as he felt. She then looked down, rummaging in her pocket and he knew exactly what she was doing.

He turned to the terminal that was to his side, quickly connecting to the one that was by her. "Danni, don't!"

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni paused, her screwdriver in her hand, at the sound of her husband's voice. She quickly opened her side of the communications up. "I can unlock the door," she rambled out. "I'll be over there in just a moment."

" _Look at the water,_ " he told her. She glanced out and saw it already filling the hallway, almost halfway up the doors. " _You'll get caught in the current and drown. Just sit tight. I'll come back for you._ "

She shook her head. "You can't. The TARDIS will never land here twice, no matter how much she likes me. We're- We're stuck, aren't we?"

Cass and Lunn shared a look at that dire news, but she didn't care. All she saw was the barrier between her and her husband. The one between her and her home. The one she didn't have a chance of getting through because the current alone would drag her down, and she'd been close enough to drowning enough times to know she couldn't fight it. She looked back out of the window at him.

"You-You have _no idea_ what I did to get back to you," she whimpered. "Everything I went through. I- I don't want to – I _can't_ lose you again. Not again."

" _Listen to me,_ " he said firmly. " _I'm going back in time to when this spaceship landed. If I can understand why this is happening, I can stop them killing anyone else. I can save you. Do you trust me?_ "

She looked up the hallway, watching the water flow, then back to him. She nodded once. She had to take the chance because what did she have to lose?

"Yes," she whispered. He raised his hand up, pressing it against the glass of his own window and she did the same. The water filled the hallway completely.

" _I'm coming back for you, Danni,_ " he promised. " _Don't be afraid._ " Then, as if he knew she wouldn't move first, he turned and left her alone.

She watched him walk off before taking a moment to pull herself together. She then turned to Cass and Lunn, who looked just as terrified as she felt, but much calmer. She needed to be more like them. She had to distract herself from the thought that this was how it _always_ went. That, at any moment, she was going to wake up.

"The ghosts are still trapped, but we need to get somewhere safe," she signed and said out loud. "What's closest?"

"The mess hall is just up the hallway," Lunn translated, even though he didn't need to. Danni nodded.

"We can haul up in there until the Doctor comes back," she decided. She set off, rightly assuming they would follow. Her first instinct was to work out how best to defend the room. There were two doorways, one by the counters where they'd just come in and one that would take them deeper into base. The ghosts weren't coming for them, but what if the creature decided now was its time to wake up? Chances were it would come from the more open end of the room, so she started to push one of the sofas that lined the room towards it.

"You're sure they're not going to hurt us?" Lunn asked her.

"They're trapped in the Faraday cage," Danni snapped back. "Help me block the door, will you?"

"Why?" he asked, nodding his head towards her to give Cass the request as well. She nodded and they both grabbed the end of a table each, moving them over to the door.

"Because we've got a creature in a box that could escape at any time and we have no idea what it is," she reasoned. "The ghosts aren't the issue, it is. If it decides that the reactor almost overloading is good alarm bell we need to be prepared."

"Do you think it will?" Lunn translated for Cass. Danni shrugged.

"I don't know, but I don't want to take any chances, do you?" she retorted. " _This_ is why I should have my gun."

"And the Doctor won't just leave us here?" he translated. Danni stopped what she was doing, turning to look at the pair.

She was certain the Doctor wouldn't leave her behind, not again, not on purpose anyway. But was it even the Doctor? Were they even trapped in an underwater base. Was this just some sort of elaborate trick to make her believe that she was going to die, or drown, or be turned into some stupid ghost only to wake up with _that woman_ staring over her, cackling and promising her that she loved her with all of her hearts?

"The Doctor would never leave us here," she signed to them both. "Because he would never leave me here. He's coming back, and we'll be…"

She trailed off as some movement from the outside caught her eye. She walked over to the window, trying to get another look. It was another ghost. It wasn't walking on the ground, or swimming, it was just gliding like the water meant nothing to it.

"Is it Moran or Pritchard or the mole guy? How, how did they get out?" Lunn asked her.

She gave a little shake of her head. "It's- It's not any of them," she whispered. "It's not- it's new."

"What does that mean?"

"It means." She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat. The ghost became clearer the closer it got, and the closer it got the less she could deny what – or rather _who_ – it was. "No," she whispered, horrified. "No, no, it can't…"

With dark sunken eyes and torn clothes, the ghost of the Doctor floated towards them.

"He's dead."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Hope you liked the chapter! Please review if you did. I hate begging, and I hope this doesn't come across as begging, but I really **really** would appreciate it. I think any author on the website saying they didn't matter would be lying, because you have no idea how much more of a muse I get when I know people are enjoying what I'm writing XD_

 _I also don't have time tonight for review replies, which seems a bit cheeky, but next week should be back to normal!_

 _Also there should be a drabble up in the Outtakes in a couple of days because the 22nd November is Danni's birthday! Yey!_


	14. The Plan

In the past, the Doctor was safe and sound. He was probably looking after the two people he had taken with him into the past to stop the ghosts and save everyone.

In the past the Doctor was walking through a town that wasn't underwater, probably giving stupid orders and being all clever and rude. That's what he would be doing. That's what he would always be doing.

Until he died, obviously.

Danni didn't really know how to take it. On one hand, she was barely convinced that she was actually on Earth and underwater being chased by ghosts so it wasn't exactly the worst thing she had ever come across. Then again, on the other hand, her whole being was screaming out in agony at the fact that her husband had died. That he was now a ghost, doomed to float in the water, silently mouthing the coordinates until someone finally heard them.

He'd promised to come for her again, and once again he never had. He'd leave her behind and she would go find him. That was always the case, wasn't it?

Well. She'd found him.

She couldn't even cry. She couldn't find it in herself, and she knew that even if she could there was no way she could let it out. This hadn't been the first time the Doctor had died. Missy always would find a way to break her. She had to keep a hold of that feeling. None of this was real. Her husband wasn't dead, because he wasn't real.

She pulled her phone out and quickly dialled the TARDIS. He'd replaced her old phone shortly after she'd made it back to the TARDIS, but it was only programmed with the TARDIS's number. She suspected that was on purpose, to stop her calling anyone else. Once again just another piece of proof that it was Missy; keeping her out of contact with everyone else.

Or it could just be the Doctor being forgetful and not adding the other numbers.

Or the Doctor being kind and not giving her the numbers so she didn't feel guilty about not contacting anyone else.

The TARDIS rung out and the phone fell to the floor, a small cracking noise indicating she'd smashed the screen. Oh well. It was just a screen. Screens could be replaced.

"Is that- is that the Doctor?" Lunn asked and Danni nodded.

"It would appear so," she replied softly. He didn't seem to want to come through the glass, instead staying in the water. Maybe he didn't know they weren't in Day Mode. Maybe he was waiting for the day to cycle through.

The Doctor was a ghost who had a concept of night and day.

That was _just_ like him.

She watched his mouth, unable to look where his eyes should have been, as he mouthed the four cryptic words that told the universe where they were. It was almost like the message the crack in the universe had proclaimed to everyone who could hear it, but on a much smaller and much more… death filled way.

"Cass?" Danni asked out loud, expecting Lunn to translate for her. "Is he saying the same thing?"

Cass appeared at her side, head tilted slightly as she watched the ghost's mouth move. She shook her head.

 _It's something new._

The thoughtful look on her face said that she wasn't sure what, though. Danni left her to try and translate what he was saying, picking up her phone off the floor. She didn't have a picture on the lock screen. She'd not really taken any pictures. That used to be a thing she liked, didn't it? If she could save the Doctor, perhaps she should get one of him.

She shook her head, clearing her head. She was being bloody stupid again. Missy would have a field day with that. Last time she'd suggested a picture Missy had taken her to see her past self getting photos taken with her husband again and again.

No thanks.

She sat down across the room, one leg crossed over the other and she watched Cass trying to decipher what the Doctor – the _ghost_ Doctor, obviously – was saying. With the distortion of the water and the rather fast way her husband seemed to be talking it was no wonder she wasn't quite getting it the same amount of time she had with the other ghosts.

Danni tapped the bottom of her phone against her chin, thoughtfully watching her husband. He must have died in the town because otherwise why would he be in the water? What triggered him now, though? The mole-Victorian-man had appeared when they'd pulled the ship in from outside. Moran had appeared the moment he had died. It had to mean that the Doctor was changing the past… future… damn, she still wasn't fantastic about tenses. She needed to read up on that. Maybe Missy would let her back in the library so she can read some language books.

She was more convinced than ever that she wasn't where she thought she was, but she couldn't say anything yet. She had to make sure that this wasn't another dream they were both having. She needed to know if the Doctor was real or not, even if he wasn't with her.

She must have looked rather troubled, because Lunn slowly made his way over to her, smiling kindly. "You've been here before, in situations like this before?" he asked her before crouching down.

"A million and one times," she replied. "Me and the Doctor seem to attract…" She glanced at him. He seemed nothing but friendly. It made her slightly suspicious. "Well, some not nice things."

"So you've had to deal with people who are scared. What do you say to them?" he asked her. "I'm asking what I should say to you."

She turned back to watch the Doctor float outside. His eyes were the worst part of the ghost. He had such expressive eyes, now they weren't even there. "I used to say nice things," she replied. "About how the Doctor would save us. Now, though," she drew in a breath through her teeth, "I'd just say it was every man for themselves." She looked down at her cracked screen. "No one comes if you cry."

"You're not crying," he pointed out and she nodded slowly.

"That's because no one comes. It's a waste of energy."

"When you used to say the Doctor would save us, did you believe it?"

She couldn't take her eyes off the floating apparition. "With every part of me," she admitted.

"What changed?"

She smiled to herself, but even Lunn could see the sadness in it. "Not him," she replied before clearing her throat. "You're good at that."

"At what?" he asked, confused.

"Getting people to talk," she explained. "You know how many people would have killed to hear something like that from me? Do you know how many people _have_ died for that?"

They both looked over at Cass who was smacking on her chair to get their attention. The moment they were both looking at her she started signing.

"Cass says she thinks she knows what he's saying," Lunn translated as they both jumped up, walking over to her. "He's saying Moran Pritchard Apprentice. No, Prentis, O'Donnell, Doctor, Danielle, Bennett, Cass." Danni frowned.

"And he keeps repeating them?" she asked Cass. "In that order?" Cass nodded. "So, who's Prentis? Is he one of you?"

Lunn shook his head just as her phone started ringing. The TARDIS was calling her, which meant that the Doctor was calling her. Whatever he was going to do in the past to get himself killed, he hadn't done it yet.

She answered it using the camera. She hadn't really thought about it, but the moment he came on the screen she felt the lump appear in her throat. He wasn't dead yet. Real or fake, that was _always_ good news.

 _~0~0~0~_

" _Doctor?_ " she asked softly, like she expecting him to rip his face off and reveal himself to be someone else. He knew exactly who as well, but he didn't address it. There wasn't time and he knew just being himself would help convince her more and more that Missy wasn't coming.

"Yes, hello," he greeted swiftly. He wanted to offer her more, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. "The spaceship, it's a hearse."

" _So we're not just missing a-a pilot, but also a dead body?"_ she asked. He nodded.

"Something large, as well," he continued, his frown deepening. She didn't look happy, and although he couldn't blame her as she'd been left behind, something still didn't seem right. If it was that she would have just said something. She was holding something back. "Danni, what is it? What's happened?"

" _You tell me_." She turned her phone around and away from her, pointing it out so he was looking through the window. At himself. His ghost was on the other side of the window, in the lake, and he suddenly understand why she wasn't relieved to see him. He was dead.

His knees felt weak, and he expected to feel like he was devastated, but it all felt a little numb. He should have been focused on the where and the hows that would lead to him dying, but instead he just saw what he'd failed to do. Danni was going to be stuck in the base until UNIT could get it and free them. He'd failed to save her. He'd left her to die. He should have broken through the doors and brought her with him, at least then she'd have the TARDIS.

The camera turned back around and he saw her face set in anger. " _Want to tell me what you're planning?_ " she asked, her voice eerily calm. That must have been her angry voice. He'd not expected to see her angry face so soon, and not pointed at him.

He didn't like it. Not one bit.

He also didn't really have an answer for her. "Well, nothing yet," he replied.

" _Don't lie to me_ ," she told him. The fact she wasn't shouting, just speaking rather calmly, really was a little unnerving. " _Tell me._ "

"I'm not- I'm not planning anything," he promised softly. She watched him for a little longer before he saw her believe him. "I wouldn't… Not when I'm coming for you."

" _Then you stop it_ ," she told him firmly. He would have normally protested, but she cut him off even before he could open his mouth. He was glad because he didn't want to have to explain the rules of time to her. She knew better, but like he would in the same situation she just didn't care. " _You said it was a hearse, which means you've seen a body, yes?"_

He looked to his two travel companions, neither of who looked particularly comfortable, before nodding. "A mummy of sorts," he agreed. "The undertaker is also still alive."

" _Is that Prentis?_ " she asked and he frowned.

"How do you know that?"

" _You're not saying the same thing as everyone else,"_ she explained, much to his surprise. " _You're just saying a list of our names. Moran, Pritchard, Prentis, O'Donnell, Doctor, Danielle, Bennett, Cass._ _Not Lunn, though, which I've also just realised as well._ " She looked off screen, probably towards the man in question. " _That's very interesting, isn't it?"_

The Doctor nodded, although he already had a theory on that. Something to work on later. He still had to work out what exactly what was going on before the next two names on that list were met. In fact, if his suspicions were correct, he had to stop his death to save his wife. Nothing new there then, but it suddenly gave him a rather large kick up the arse. Danielle always did that. She could always get him working again.

"Later, that's later," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. He found himself pacing. "Go back to Ghost me. You've got a better view than me. How do I look? Any signs of trauma, any scars? Any clues as to how I die?"

Danni looked over her phone at the ghost in the water. " _Your eyes are missing, like the others, but the only other difference is your right shoulder. You've ripped your jacket."_

She turned the camera, showing him the ghost again. His jacket was indeed ripped on the right shoulder. His mouth didn't seem to be muttering, though. Maybe he'd transmitted everything he'd wanted to. A list of people, in order of how they were going to die. Trust him to be the morbid one.

Danielle suddenly backed up as the ghost came through the window. His view slipped as she almost dropped the phone – something he assumed she'd already done judging by the distorted line down the middle of his video feed – but she managed to point it back at him again.

" _Great, just great_ ," she rambled. " _Are you going to attack us now?"_ The Doctor ghost didn't move, though. " _No, actually, you're just stood there. Why can't you ever behave like expected?!"_

"You _want_ me to attack you?" he countered.

" _Good point_ ," she replied. The ghost turned, walking away and she followed it with a steady hand. " _He's going to the controls. What are you… Oh, don't do that! Why are you doing that?"_

"What? What am I doing?"

" _You've opened the bloody Faraday cage. We need to talk about who you keep as friends when this is all over!"_

That made sense, although it wasn't good news. The ghosts would all band together to continue to broadcast their message. He'd need the rest of them out to keep the signal alive. One big, happy, undead family.

"I need to talk to me now," he told Danni.

" _Seriously?"_ she countered. " _Fine!"_

She turned the phone around and then on its side so he could see his ghost clearly. In response he turned the monitor he was looking it around, after all there was no need to have it crushed up horribly in the middle of the screen.

It was weird seeing his own ghost. There was something that was just awful about having two dark holes where his eyes should be. Danielle really couldn't be coping as well as she sounded seeing him like that. Knowing her obsession with proving reality false, in fact, he was sure she was using it as a reason to not believe she was free of Missy. She already found it so easy to feel like she wasn't home.

Once again he just resolved to be so much like himself that she couldn't deny that he was real. "Doctor. Such an honour!" he greeted jovially. "I've always been a huge admirer. This is really a delight. Devilishly handsome as always, of course. And also someone worthwhile to talk to. Sometimes I wonder how we landed such a beautiful wife, but from this angle it's rather obvious, isn't it?"

The camera turned and Danni was looking at him with a rather stern look on her face. " _Halt the flirting, yeah?"_

"Don't be jealous," he replied cheekily. "You've always said you wondered on the possibilities." She rolled her eyes and turned him back around. The ghost was staring at the phone screen. "But first, why are you here?" he asked the ghost. There was no reply from the ghost, who just turned away from the phone. "Danni? What's happening?"

Danni kept the camera on the ghost, moving to Lunn and Cass so they could both see his face. " _Nothing, really,_ " she replied. The ghost Doctor's face fell to a scowl before he started silently talking again. " _Oh, he's talking. Is that the same?_ "

" _No, his message has changed,_ " Lunn translated for Cass. Danni turned the camera off his ghost and onto Cass. " _He's saying…"_ They all waited with bated breath as Cass read his lips. " _He's saying 'The chamber will open tonight'._ "

" _Excellent. Very ominous. What does that mean, Spaceman?"_

He couldn't let her die. Even in her new voice, with her new tone and her new way of thinking, that nickname just reminded him of everything they had been through together. She'd turned the camera back to herself and he couldn't help but smile softly. He may not have been there when she regenerated, but she was there now. She was in the future and underwater and trapped by ghosts, but she was there. He could deal with anything now.

"Now the ghosts are out, go to the Faraday cage," he told her. "They won't be able to get you in there."

" _No, but neither will you,_ " she countered. " _I'm not being out of contact with you while you're wandering around with a death wish!"_

"And you can't stay out in the open while there are ghosts trying to kill you," he replied just as firmly. "You'll have to put the phone outside and watch it through the little round porthole. When you see it ringing, if it's safe to do so, go out and answer it."

" _And if it's not safe to do so?_ " she asked. " _What if you need my help?"_

He leant in closer, as if he was trying to reach her through the screen. He wished more than ever that he could offer her some sort of physical comfort that she wouldn't pull away from. "Danni, listen to me," he said. "I'm coming back for you, I swear. Keep an eye on the phone. I need to be able to reach you, and you need to tell me everything the ghosts do. But do not, under any circumstances, put yourself in danger. I _am_ coming back for you."

She stared back with wide eyes, lips pushed together, even as Cass tugged on her arm to make her leave the room they were in and head to the Faraday cage. He kept eye contact with her the entire time, letting her know the best he could that he was telling the truth. That his promise meant something. That he was her husband and that, no matter what, he was always coming back for her.

She nodded softly. " _Alright_ ," she replied softly. " _Call me, Spaceman. You better not let me rot here._ "

"Never," he promised and the screen went dead as she ran for safety. With his hands on the console top he hung his head, squeezing his eyes closed for just a moment. He really hated being separated with her. If they were going to be in danger, he'd much rather they were in danger together. Being apart just reminded him of his long search for her.

At least this time he knew where she was. She was safe as long as she did as she was told.

It was with a sudden sense of panic that he realised he had absolutely no idea if this Danni would actually stay put in a crisis. He turned, heading towards the door. He didn't have time to lose. "Come on!" he called to his two companions.

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni kept one hand on the door as she looked out of the porthole at her phone. The crack was really starting to bother her. If she just had some tape, or something, she could have tried to patch it together again. The shards were going to get lost. Not that she could actually repair the screen as it was. She'd need a new one. She could totally replace the broken one with a fresh new one. Maybe she could even look into building her own phone. There had to be a book about that somewhere. Or a website. Hell, a YouTube tutorial would have done. She'd worked off less.

Her leg bounced nervously as she kept staring straight out of the window. There was barely any space at all between her and the door, but looking out into the small room somehow felt infinitely worse.

"Are you okay?"

Lunn's voice startled her and she turned to look at him and Cass. While Cass looked worried, Lunn seemed more concerned about her than their situation. She guessed it came from being an interpreter. He would need to read body language as it was a large part of sign language.

"You seem a bit jumpy," he continued. "Which is saying something, since we're hiding from ghosts."

She pressed her lips together, considering her words carefully. He'd already got her talking once, she really didn't want to give him more information than was necessary.

She nodded. "I'm fine," she replied before turning back to the window. "I just don't like being locked in small spaces."

"Ah, claustrophobic?" he asked, signing along so Cass wasn't kept out of the loop.

"Experience," she corrected but didn't go into it anymore. If what Missy did to her ever got out, not only would the woman herself use what terrified her to her advantage, but there were plenty of people who would love to know the Time Child's weakness. Knowing about the Doctor was plenty. She really didn't need any more to contend with.

Which was why she felt rather annoyed at herself when a new ghost appeared at the porthole, scaring her into jumping back with a yell. "Son of a…" she started before trailing off. The ghost was O'Donnell, the woman who went with the Doctor into the past and to the TARDIS. O'Donnell was the next name of the list. The one before the Doctor's. "Son of a bitch," she whispered.

The ghost slowly stepped backwards, watching Danni through the window. The brunette walked closer, pressing herself up against the door as if it would help her see better.

The ghost stared for a moment, before looking to her side and at the phone. She slowly turned and Danni shook her head. "Oi, don't you… don't you dare!" she shouted as the ghost walked over and grabbed the phone off the little ledge it was sat on. She then turned and started walking away, down the hallway.

"Put that back!" Danni continued to shout, banging on the glass. "Put that phone back! It's not yours!" She growled, smacking the window one last time. "You better give me a receipt for that!" she demanded. "I want my phone back at the end of all this!"

She turned around, leaning against the door where she was met with two questioning gazes. "O'Donnell is dead," she broke to them. "Whatever is killing us is slowly moving through the group. We need a plan. We're just sitting ducks here."

She started pacing. Back and forth across the floor, chewing on her lip as her mind raced over what information they had gained so far, and any possible hint of what the Doctor was currently up to. For some reason sitting still when thinking never really helped her. If she couldn't pace, she had to be fiddling, keeping at least a small part of her body in motion. It helped her think more. Missy said it made her look like an animal at a zoo that was kept in a cage much too small for its needs.

She forced herself to a stop as the voice she could hear in her head told her to just stand still. Her hands kept moving, however.

"Right," she stated. "We've got three people – _two people_ – in the past. We, on the other hand, are trapped in a Faraday cage that we know that the ghosts can open and can also come inside should they want to. But they're not because they're clever enough to know that if we can get out while they're in, we'll just trap them again."

Lunn started to translate, but quickly noticed that Danni was doing that for him. It was like she didn't even notice the signs. Cass did, though, and was signing back.

"Why are they leading us out if they can just kill us in here?" Danni translated. "Good question. I like good questions. It's nice to be in a room where everyone isn't an idiot." She shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe they can't create the ghosts if we die in here? Perhaps even if they can the signal can't be transmitted from here. Maybe the Doctor has already worked that out." She glanced over her shoulder. "We need that phone."

This wasn't helping. "We've got ghosts transmitting a signal. A signal that we all knew the moment we heard it. Except." Her eyes lit up and she pointed at Lunn. "Except for you," she cried. "Cass wouldn't let you into the spaceship before. Did she do that the first time as well?"

He nodded slowly. "She said it gave her a weird feeling," he confirmed.

"Which means the signal isn't in your head," she continued. "Which is why the ghosts didn't care about you. No point in wasting time and energy on something with no payback. They need you alive so you can look at the writing, get your brain worm and _then_ they'll kill you."

"So what you're saying is that I'm pretty much indestructible?" Lunn asked, looking rather pleased with the new knowledge.

"Well, from the ghosts," Danni corrected. "I mean, a rather large and heavy beam could fall on you right now and squish you dead. But, it does mean that _you_ can go get the phone!"

Lunn's face fell. "What?"

Cass shook her head. "No," she whispered, giving him a look that said he was _absolutely not allowed_ to go out of the room.

"I know it sounds crazy, but we don't have any other choice," Danni told them both. "We _need_ to be in contact with the Doctor. If anything changes, even for a moment, we're going to be on the back foot and we won't survive. We need as much information as we can possibly know, and _that_ comes from the Doctor."

Lunn was silent for a moment as he considered the options, and the risk he would have to take, before nodding. "Okay."

Danni smiled at him. "Knew you had it in you," she praised. "You'll be fine."

Cass grabbed hold of Lunn to get his attention, signing angrily at him. _You're not going out there. No way._

"No, she's right. Neither of you can get it back," Lunn replied, signing along. He didn't sound pleased, his body language probably gave that away, but Danni had to admire his willingness to go out based on what was an untested guess.

 _Has traveling with the Doctor changed you, or were you always happy to put other people's lives at risk_?

Danni straightened, her eyes flashing but Cass didn't back down. She stared at the Time Lord angrily, waiting for an answer, expecting one.

"No, travelling with the Doctor didn't change me," Danni told her, her voice low as she signed along. "The Doctor kept me kind, and he kept me safe and he kept me naïve enough to believe that taking these risks weren't needed, that there was always another way. I've learnt since then. If you have an opportunity to change a wrong, you have to take it, no matter what the cost." She glanced at Lunn before meeting Cass's gaze again. "He will be fine. The ghosts don't care about him. It's you who does."

Both of them seemed rather stunned by her last declaration, which was why she had said it. Both of them cared for each other but wouldn't say, so it made a great distraction to get her to the door. She unlocked it but didn't open it until she glanced over her shoulder.

"You'll want to be quick," she warned him. "They're not going to be happy that you're out. Grab the phone then come straight back. Don't dawdle, it'll get you killed."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _A little short, I'm afraid, but it felt like a good place to cut it._

 _We've had a new one-shot written about Danni by someone else! It's called **Those Left Behind: The Time Child** by **SuperPotterWhoLocked Okay**. Go read and review! :D_

 _Also if anyone feels like writing their own drabble or whatever about Danni, let me know but it'll totally be okay! I love to read other people writing about her. After all, it means I don't know what's going to happen XD_

 _Reviews!_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Thanks sweetie! No, the water thing is just something Missy did to her. We'll find out more about that after this episode is complete :) _

_**Daydreamerxo** \- Thanks sweetie! And thanks for picking it up when there's so much to get through! I hope you've enjoyed it so far and continue to do so!_

 _ **Quinnmarie** \- Thanks sweetie! Sorry this one isn't particularly anything, but I hope you enjoy it none the less._

 _ **Chimmicherry** \- Thanks sweetie! I really do appreciate every single review, so this means a lot to me! I hope you enjoy what's to come._

 _ **bored411** \- So far so good. I think she's still being rather logical about everything right now. She doesn't want to show Missy her feelings, so she won't let them out until she can either be assured she safe or she just can't hold them in anymore._

 _ **Authora97** \- Me? No, never :D :D_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie!_


	15. The Realisation

If anything, this whole endeavour was an exercise in the Doctor's mental sharpness. On one hand he was constantly worrying about Danielle, who he couldn't contact unless it was completely necessary because he couldn't risk her getting killed by a ghost just for leaving the Faraday cage.

On the other hand, he had the whole 'keeping people and himself alive' thing. That was the part he was struggling with. Both Prentice and O'Donnell had been lost to that. Those were his own failings and he'd have to live with that, but as his death crept ever closer so did Danni's. He couldn't save her if he was dead to begin with, could he?

Bennet's judgemental gaze wasn't helping. Or maybe it was, because he was right. He _could_ have tried harder to stop O'Donnell. He _could_ have mentioned why she should have stayed in the TARDIS. He had assumed that because his ghost had appeared and hers had not, though, that the list had to have been something else. But all it did was prove that time was always fluctuating, and now there was another ghost in the future who was most likely tormenting his wife.

What _was_ going on? Ghosts that create more ghosts to broadcast a signal out… for what? For the Fisher King? That seemed rather likely. And the fact that whatever the Fisher King was had dragged the suspended animation chamber into the church said that it was planning on waiting for rescue. It had put the writing on the wall, it had impregnated everyone's minds with the coordinates. It was killing people for its own gain.

However, like always, he felt like he stood a fighting chance at changing the future until he ripped his shoulder. There was never a fight against the future, not really. The future always came, it always won. He was next, which meant that Danni's final minutes were coming up. If he couldn't stop his own death, she would be next.

If she had been next he would have been a lot less careful. If he'd chucked himself in the line of fire then the future would have been altered and she would have had a chance. She was stuck in the underwater base, which meant that if he died then so did she.

"Oh. I need more time. It's too soon," he muttered to himself as he absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder. "I haven't saved her yet. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock." Bennet was watching him as his mind raced. He'd hoped to change the future and he couldn't. His only choice now was to face the present and hope to skew the outcome. "I've got no choice now, I have to face the Fisher King," he told Bennet before walking off. "You, back to the TARDIS."

Bennet did as he was told, which the Doctor wasn't expecting. Although that might have been partly down to the fact that he blamed the Doctor for the death of the woman he loved. He could understand that, after all he still was _so_ angry at Clara for the pain she'd caused both Danni and himself.

His hands clenched as he walked around the small fake town. Even the thought of Clara made his blood boil. It was purely Danni, who loved her best friend as much as she always had, that was stopping him embracing that need to punish his old friend for what she'd done. The rage that, now Danni was back and safe, kept him up at night. The rage at Clara, at Missy, and at himself.

He was going to make it right, though. As he walked around the empty town, he plotted. He plotted, and he planned, and he went over every single way he could disrupt the time line. He thought of dark things – like rearranging the order of the list – and he thought of just jumping in the TARDIS and running as far away as possible. Danni could, after all, be saved by UNIT eventually.

What took him longest to understand, though, was the fact that his ghost had appeared before O'Donnell's. She had died first so she should have been in the base before he had appeared. Maybe she had been but they'd just not seen her?

No, that wasn't right either. The ghosts found the living, they weren't exactly trying to hide.

So all he had to do was work out why he'd appeared before O'Donnell, why he wasn't saying the same thing and why he'd let the other ghosts out and given the living people an easy way to safety.

He paused in his step; he needed to stop not noticing how much he'd noticed.

His frown slowly, surely, turned to a grin. His worries slowly started to turn into hopes. And, finally, being trapped in the past suddenly turned into a way of getting back to Danielle.

He just had to face the Fisher King.

 _~0~0~0~_

"Stop pacing."

Danni said it tiredly, her head resting against the door, rolled back so she was looking upwards. Cass couldn't hear her, and she probably wouldn't have cared at all about what she said even if she could. It was more for her own benefit because she really, truly, couldn't stand the impatient pacing anymore.

She understood the need completely. She'd done her fair share of pacing backwards and forwards whilst being trapped in a small room, waiting for someone to come find you who never did. Missy used to go _on and on_ about how she was going to wear a hole in the carpet. Danni had kinda hoped that she would because she'd never really seen that before. She'd never been trapped in one place long enough to create friction to actually destroy something. Had anyone ever been in that position? Hammering away until something solid gave way?

The carpet changed a lot over the years, so Danni never really got a chance to find that out. Then, one day, she'd just stopped pacing.

Like Cass needed to do. It wasn't going to make Lunn turn up any quicker.

" _Cass_ ," she called again but all she got was a thigh in the face as the other woman leant over her to look out of the port hole. She leant to the side to get away from it, feeling rather annoyed that her presence was being ignored. Cass couldn't hear her, but she _could_ see her. She hated rudeness.

Cass moved away again and Danni jumped up, catching her attention. _Calm down, he'll be back soon._

 _He should be back now. He should never have gone out. This is all your fault._

Danni rolled her eyes. _Sure. Blame the people who are trying to save you_.

Some people were so ungrateful. She didn't take it personally, though, because she knew that Cass was just worried. She wasn't feeling particularly calm herself, especially considering the Doctor was in a different time zone. She had to remember to be patient with others. It was something she had to work on.

 _I am in charge here! You should never have suggested it! This is your fault. What good are you if you don't save everyone?_

Her gestures were angry, her face was angry. Every piece of frustration was being directed at Danni, who for one _really_ didn't appreciate it. She took a step towards Cass, her own gaze hardening.

"I get that you're worried, but don't think for one moment that you can talk to me like that," she both signed and snarled out loud. "Do you actually think I want to be here right now? Who knows if he can even get it off the fucking ghosts! But I can't die after just getting back to my husband, so this is what we're stuck with! Deal with it, because I am!"

Danni understood the few rude gestures Cass sent her way perfectly well and had to take a deep breath to stop herself getting even angrier. Still, she had never been one to keep her frustrations at bay very well – well, that's what she believed, whether or not it was down to the body she currently had she wasn't completely certain. "Fine!" she exclaimed, opening the door to the Faraday cage. "Let's go get ourselves killed. But you're—" she pointed at Cass then realised she hadn't actually been signing. "You're the one who's going to have to tell my husband that I'm dead," she warned. "And we stick together, understood?"

Cass didn't look particularly pleased by the suggestion, but nodded once to show she approved. Once again Danni had the want to roll her eyes, but she motioned for Cass to step out first into the hallway. "I really can't believe I'm looking after humans. Again," she grumbled to herself. "You're all going to be the death of me."

There was only one way to go, and that was straight. Cass walked ahead as she was in charge, but Danni kept behind because it seemed like the more sensible thing to do. Cass could call to get her attention, but Danni couldn't exactly return the favour. They both needed to keep within eyeshot if they were going to survive.

"You know, there was a time when I would have been happy to wait around for my husband to save me," she said. There was something rather therapeutic about being able to speak out load and have no one reply. She'd tried to whole 'writing-in-a-journal' thing. She'd even set up an email address that she could rant at, but it just wasn't the same. "I would have said something big and inspiring to keep you in that cage because the Doctor always comes to save me. Sometimes, though…" she pressed her lips together. "Sometimes you've just got to accept no one is coming to save you. Ultimately, in this universe, we're all alone."

They came to an intersection in the hallways, with a hallway straight ahead and one to either side. Danni joined Cass at her side, them checking out either way. Cass seemed to think one way was more appealing and started walking towards it as Danni was looking the opposite way.

Luckily she was paying attention and grabbed Cass's arm before she could get out of reach. Cass spun, alarmed, and Danni let her go. Probably was a bit mean, but what else was she supposed to do?

 _Sticking together, remember?_

So they both headed down the hallway together, keeping an eye out for any sign of Lunn or any of the ghosts.

"This is such a bad idea," Danni continued to herself. "We're both idiots, do you know that? Absolutely bonkers. Honestly, this is how people in horror movies die. Wandering where we shouldn't. We really shouldn't be doing this."

And then she heard it. The dragging of metal on metal. Something was following them at a steady pace. She reached her arm out, stopping Cass in her tracks. Cass looked up at her and Danni kept quiet, her lips once again pressed together to keep her from speaking. With a shared look, Danni slowly looked around. Behind them was Moran, dragging an axe on the ground.

"Everything is a fucking horror movie," she snarled. "I _hate_ horror movies!" She grabbed Cass's hand. " _Run_!"

Cass couldn't hear her, but her signals were pretty clear. They both began running as hard as they could away from Moran.

A few turns in the corridors and they landed at the Mess Hall where they both could see Lunn through the glass door. Cass opened it and he shook his head, looking positively panicked.

"No, no, you've got to get out of here. The ghosts locked me in. It's a trap!" he explained as quickly as he could.

"Oh, of course it is!" Danni ranted. "Of course is fucking is!"

The ghosts phased through the walls and started their slow advance towards them. Danni shook her head, but couldn't help but let her gaze fall on the ghost Doctor. In some twisted way just seeing him gave her a little comfort, a little hope, but she pushed it down before she could smile. Instead she let the bitterness at the thought fill her.

"Oh, real original!" she called up. "You've never killed me with the Doctor before, have you? Come on Missy, give me a challenge!"

"What?" Lunn asked her.

"Just run!" she retorted. "The Faraday cage, now!"

Cass grabbed Lunn's hand and they all started running down the corridors, away from them ghosts. If they hadn't been running for their lives, Danni might have found their hand-holding sweet. But she didn't have time for that. She had to keep redirecting them every time a ghost magically materialised just where they were heading. Detour after detour meant that they ended up back in the hanger with the space ship and the suspended animation chamber.

"Where the hell is the exit?" she asked Lunn as they continued to back away from the ghosts. They'd grouped up now, four of them heading towards them. "We need to keep moving!"

The trio turned around, walking backwards and away from the ghosts. Danni felt her legs bang into the chamber, which suddenly made a clunking noise. She spun around, alarmed.

"Oh, that's not good. That's so not good!" she exclaimed. "I need to- we need…" She turned back again, reaching into her pocket for her gun. It was missing. Of course it was, the Doctor had made her leave it behind. Her panic skyrocketed. How was she supposed to survive without her gun? She froze. She wasn't. This was it. She'd escaped only to die.

There was a loud hissing noise as the suspended animation chamber released its locks. The lid split and opened and the three couldn't help but watch in horror as the thing inside was released.

The Doctor sat up, sunglasses on, a grin on his face. He looked to his side and saw three stunned people, and one incredibly stunning woman he called his wife.

"Don't kiss me; morning breath," he told her as he jumped to his feet.

"What the- what the hell are you doing in there?" Danni exclaimed.

"Oh, you know, just waiting around," he dismissed. He climbed out of the chamber then reached over it for her hand. "Follow me."

Danni didn't hesitate. She grabbed his hand and let him practically drag her out of the room with the other two on their heels. "Why were you in the box?" she demanded anyway. "What happened to the body? Are we going to encounter a really angry – where are you- the Faraday cage is that way!"

"I know," he replied. "But that's not where we're going." He looked over his shoulder at her and shot her a giant grin. "I'll want that kiss later," he warned her cheekily.

She just shot him a look that told him that, even though she was trying to be serious, she was considering it. "Once you've brushed your teeth, sweetie."

She saw the glee on his face as he turned around and felt herself close up even more at it. The Doctor surviving his death was nothing new, but it all felt a bit too… well, a bit too easy. Everything just happily fell into place. One minute she was about to be killed by his ghost, the next the ghost had disappeared and he was trying to save the day again. There was no bit in between where the plan seemed to come together, it had all happened away from her. Off screen, almost. Like a dream, where the gaps were filled in before she realised they even existed.

She swallowed heavily as they entered the control room. The Doctor let go of her hand to rush over and shove one of the legs of his sonic sunglasses into a socket on the controls that just happened to be the right size. If she asked him about what had happened and he answered with the ever-damning ' _It's a long story'_ she might just break.

A roar came from the speakers, one that was obviously filling up the entire base. "What's that noise?" Lunn asked.

"It's the call of the Fisher King. The call of their master," the Doctor explained to him. The group were all huddled around the monitors, watching the ghosts turn away from their pursuit and head away from them.

Danni, on the other hand, kept back and near the door. Over the course of her running to find the Doctor she'd developed the sense of when to stay and when to run. It was a heavy feeling deep in her stomach, one that settled and rarely left while she was still in the situation. The Doctor saving the day, people surviving, the ghosts heading to the Faraday cage where they'd be trapped – all this should have been reasons for her to feel safe.

All she wanted to do was turn and run. But she couldn't even do that. Her legs had frozen. The panic rose in her throat. She was terrified. She couldn't wake up again. Seeing Missy's face again…

The Doctor quickly locked the door on the Faraday cage and instantly felt himself relax. It had worked, he'd saved them all. He'd saved himself and he'd saved Danni.

He turned to look at his wife, ready to brag like he always did, but found her wide eyed and at the door. She looked ready to bolt. He frowned. Instantly a million reasons she could be hurt, or scared, or things he'd missed ran through his head. He walked closer.

"What is it?" he asked her lowly. She looked at him with wide eyes. "My Pet, what's wrong?"

She swallowed again to force the lump down. "Did-Did you stop it?" she asked instead. Her voice sounded weak, _she_ sounded weak, so she cleared her throat with a cough. "This Fisher King? Did you stop it?"

He watched her closely but nodded all the same. "Unfortunately he didn't know how to swim," he explained. "Which is a little strange, considering his name."

He watched her hand go to her pocket, as if she was looking for a gun. She obviously didn't find it but she kept her hand in there. She was looking for comfort from it instead of him and it wounded him more than he'd ever be able to tell her. He understood as well, but it was just another sign of his own failure.

"So we're all safe now?"

"Ah, yes, about that…" He rushed back over to the console and pulled out his sunglasses. "There's just one more thing I need to do…"

 _~0~0~0~_

Bennet watched the ghost of O'Donnell walked around, forever repeating the coordinates even though no one would ever hear them. Moran was there as well, and Prentis, and Prichard but he found it very hard to care when the woman he loved was dead and trapped for the rest of time.

He heard the footsteps of the rest of the survivors approaching – it was hard not to when the entire structure was made of metal. Everything echoed except what O'Donnell was saying.

"What will happen to them?" he asked.

The Doctor looked to Danni, who had made the phone call to the surface. She seemed to have a lot more swing in UNIT than he did. He rather liked it. She just shrugged, giving him the permission to explain. "UNIT will cut out the Faraday cage with them inside and take it away. Then the space-hearse will be destroyed, so the writing doesn't infect anyone else."

Bennet barely responded to his words. "What do I do now?"

The Doctor didn't know what to say. Losing the woman he loved had been devastating, but he got her back. Somehow the universe would seem so cruel except when it came to them. No matter what came between them he could always guarantee that, somehow, she'd always be by his side. He'd never believed it before, but he was starting to now. What comfort could he offer a man with no hope of that?

Danni watched the Doctor look away and rolled her eyes, assuming it was because he didn't want to get into the 'feeling' side of the adventure. He'd always struggled with offering comfort to anyone but her because she was the only one who could see his comfort for what it was.

She had to admit, that was pretty spot on as well.

She stepped forward instead and joined Bennet at the port hole. "You live," she replied simply.

"Is that it?" he asked like it was the worst advice he'd ever been given.

Danni nodded. "Yes, that's it," she confirmed. "The thing is… The universe is full of things that want to kill you. Nothing is kind, nothing is fair, nothing will want to help and no one comes when you cry." The Doctor's hearts ached at her words, but more at the ease at which she brought them up. She'd obviously thought about this a lot. "It wants to see you suffer and will stop at nothing to take that last little bit of you away. The best thing any of us can do, the best thing _you_ can do, is fight it. Honour her memory and, in the process, you'll show the universe where to shove its cruelty. The best way to beat the sadness is to live and to live well." She looked up at him and offered him a tight smile. "That's all any of us are ever doing. We're just surviving because the universe wants us to fail. Don't let her death be in vain, and don't let it beat you."

With a pat of his arm, she walked over to the Doctor's side once again. She didn't look sheepish, or uncomfortable. Her words were just that; hers. How many times had she comforted herself? How many times had her attempts at survival been thrown in her face? How many times had she cried and he'd not come?

He had to push down his own need to cry so he could even speak. "I need to erase that message from your mind, but it's fine, I'll do it later," he told Bennet quietly before motioning with his head. Danni understood and the pair started to walk down the hall and away from the group to give them their moment to grieve.

 _~0~0~0~_

The TARDIS was waiting for them, their ever-loving home and the Doctor flew them away before UNIT appeared and could ask any questions. The couple were silent for a while. It was long, and felt a little drawn out, but the Doctor didn't know what to say and Danni didn't feel like it was safe to say anything at all.

"The ghosts…" the Doctor started to clear the air.

"UNIT's going to drag the cage into space," Danni interrupted quickly. "Get them outside the Earth's magnetic field. They'll be allowed their deaths. They'll just fade… fade away."

The Doctor nodded. He'd known all that, but at least she was speaking. She was stood by the bridge to the door looking like she wanted to run and stay absolutely still at the same time. One hand was on the railing and the other was in the pocket of her dress.

"Danni…"

"How did you not die?" she asked over him. She needed to know. She needed to know what she was seeing was reality and his explanation would be it. He'd either give her own, or he'd say those four words that would cause her to wake up. Either way she couldn't not know. The anxiety alone was going to kill her.

"I never was going to die," he explained. He slowly walked over to her, wanting to pull her in for the hug she desperately needed. "Those messages my ghost gave, they weren't for you, they were for me. That list. Everyone after you was random, but you being after me, that's what made me confront the Fisher King. It was what gave me the idea for the hologram. If you had been first," he held his hand out for hers and she hesitated before taking it. He smiled, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand. "If you had been first I would have been reckless and I would have died. Me being first told me I had time to think, time to work out what was happening. It gave me time to think of the hologram."

"And the chamber opening? That was your way of telling yourself that you had to get inside?

He nodded along with her. "And when to set it for," he confirmed. "But that's not why I said them."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I programmed my ghost to say them because that's what my ghost had said," he explained, watching her face to see if she understood. "And the only reason I created my ghost hologram in the first place was because I saw it here. I was reverse engineering the narrative."

Her brows furrowed. "That's pretty smart," she admitted. And it also sounded like a ramble from the Doctor. Once again she felt herself start to relax, to become comfortable and she was more relieved than anything.

He shook his head slowly. "No, it's not," he corrected gently. "When did I first have those ideas?"

"Well… You…" she started before her mouth fell into an 'o'. She then shot him a look. "A bootstrap paradox?" she accused him. "I thought you'd be better than that. That's cheap time manipulation, that is."

He shrugged. "What can I say? I'm just an ancient amateur, after all."

She shook her head, but had a smile on her face. She had such a beautiful soul that, no matter how hard she tried to hide it away, it shone from that smile. It was the same in her previous bodies and he was so glad it was true now.

"So, what now?" she asked him. "We've been awake quite a while, but I'm not particularly tired, so…"

"There's something I need to do first," he told her. Immediately she straightened and he realised that, maybe, that springing it on her wasn't the best idea. "I have something to give you." He held out his other hand temptingly. "I say give to you, but it's not actually mine to give… Well, you'll see when I give it to you."

With an eyebrow raised, she took her hand out of her coat and took his. He walked backwards towards the console, stopping when his back hit the metal. He then realised that, maybe, holding both of hers wasn't the best idea, he'd just wanted to do it. He let go to slam his hand on the side of the console. A small hatch opened up and he reached in.

"I believe…" he said slowly as he rummaged around. "This is yours…"

He pulled out her gun, holding it to her by the barrel so she could take the handle. She frowned, looking at him in confusion.

"You're giving me my gun back?" she asked him unsurely. He nodded and she quickly took it off him before he could take it back off her. The sense of relief she felt from holding it again almost drowned out the fact that she really, _really_ shouldn't have been given it back. "I thought you hated guns."

"I do," he admitted. "And I hate the fact that you have one. But…" He took in a long breath, his mind rushing over every sentiment he wanted to express, trying to jumble them together into one coherent thought. "You cried all on your own," he declared, much to her surprise. "The universe has not been kind to you, and you've had to deal with that on your own, and there is nothing I can do to make that okay again. I have a… I have a _time machine_ and I still can't go back and fix that wrong."

"I've never asked you to," Danni quickly spoke up, sounding a little defensive.

"I know," he reassured. "But I want to. I want to go back and change the past, but how can I if it just collapses in on itself the moment I create that paradox? It's not just some cheap trick, is it? I can't fix it. I'm the Doctor and I…" He let go of her hand, turning away and rubbing his hand over his face. There were tears. He could feel them threatening to get out and he couldn't let one fall. "I'm the Doctor and I can't fix this."

His voice was small, and broken, and it was something he had wanted to keep away from her. But it was pointless. She'd see through him, she always did, and she'd say the same thing every time; she didn't need saving from his pain.

He turned back around. "I've been so worried about how you've been affected, about how I wasn't there to save you. But look at you," he waved a hand at her. "You've adapted. You _always_ do. You get thrown into these impossible situations and you make them work for you. That passion, that strength, that will to not just survive but to live is what made you stand out. What made you… made you shine through everything else in the universe. And that gun is the symbol of that that. And I should never have taken it away." He reached out, cupping her face. She didn't flinch, not even as he tilted her head slightly so she was looking into his eyes. Her eyes were shining. He was pretty sure that his were as well.

"Until you don't need it again. Until you adapt past it, I won't bring it up again. And I'm so sorry that I tried to take your strength away.

That stupid lump was back in her throat. Tears were in her eyes, and she knew that if she didn't force them away they'd actually start to fall. The one thing Missy had never been able to reproduce was that glorious feeling he brought whenever he spoke to her like that. How he made her feel loved, and huge, and important and also so incredibly humble to have it all aimed at her. Missy's Doctors had always felt off in that regard. Now her hearts just sang and ached at his words.

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips as she looked down from his gaze. She put the gun back in her coat pocket and the weight felt incredibly familiar and reassuring. "Thank you," she whispered softly.

His reply was to lean forward and place a kiss on her forehead. She couldn't help but smile at it. "Before- Before we head out again, I'm going to make a coffee," she rambled. "Would you- you like one too?"

"No, thanks, my Pet," he replied gratefully, stepping back to let her go. She gave a little nod to him before heading towards the hallway. "My Pet?"

"Yes?" She paused, looking back at him.

"It may take me a minute, or an hour, or a millennia, but I'm always coming when you cry," he promised her. "Never believe for one second I'm not. For all those times you cried on your own, this here, right now, is me coming for them. I'll never leave you to cry on your own, Danni-Girl."

"Doctor…" she said softly, trailing off as she couldn't find what words she wanted to say. She didn't want to say the words she wanted to say, because putting them into the universe meant that they could be heard, and used.

He shot her a smile. "Go get your caffeine kick," he encouraged. "There's a universe out there to see and I've told you before; I'm not seeing a moment more of it without you."

She grinned. A proper, happy grin before turning and heading out of the console room with the coat flaring up behind her.

He had never realised how much he'd loved her in a coat before. He _really_ did.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Sorry it's a little short but... well, that's just how it is XD_

 _Don't forget to check out Echoes, I actually updated it. I mean, that's a thing that happened XD_

 _Also, with next Monday being Christmas I can't promise that's when I'll update. But I'll keep you all updated on Tumblr. Go see - I'm DanniFielding :D_

 _Reviews!_

 _ **Guest** \- Thanks sweetie!_

 _ **Jojo** \- Thanks! Yeah, she's picked up a bit of her mother's sass, it seems XD_

 _ **Authora97** \- Definitely not! I, personally, love the original Danni however this one is definitely growing on me! However, that's cause I know what's to come over the next couple of seasons :P_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- She'll see it soon. Not yet, but very soon! Everything will start coming out very soon x_

 _ **bored411** \- I think the way she kind of freezes at seeing him was just as likely as her becoming furious at him. We will see both types of reaction at some point XD_

 _ **Serena** \- Thanks sweetie! Yeah, she's had a lot more time to reflect on the Doctor, especially without him being there. _

_**AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie! Hope you liked this one too!_


	16. Waking Up

The Doctor closed his eyes as he played the final few notes, enjoying the sound of the notes slowly becoming too soft for even him to hear. It was such a pleasant, relaxing sound. He enjoyed it almost as much as he enjoyed playing the guitar in the first place. He should have picked one up sooner. He'd forgotten that he'd even learnt how to play.

He knew he was just wasting time, distracting himself, but he still started playing the opening notes to Pretty Woman. His fingers found the notes with ease. The whole activity turned out to be a good way to keep himself calm. Something about being able to focus on something that had a start, middle and an end that he knew was coming.

Plus, if he said so himself, he was rather good at playing. Actually, he was rather fantastic at playing. Not that was surprising. He once played triangle in Carmen, the guitar wasn't exactly a step too far was it?

There was just something very nice about knowing he wasn't going to fail at what he was doing. He could always play the songs he chose because he knew how to play them. If he didn't then he would learn. It was a simple as that.

" _Blind men say only fools rush in_." He hadn't even noticed the fact that he'd changed song. It was only when his brain caught up with the fact that he was singing did he trail off with a rather sudden stop. He'd been trying very hard not to think of that song.

He placed the guitar down against the console, moving over to sit on the stairs. Danni hadn't said anything to him before going to bed except goodnight. No 'Love you, Spaceman', or calling him sweetie. Or, in fact, called him his name. Or The ta.

He missed it. He missed hearing her whisper it, and scolding him with it. He missed how affectionate she had been before she regenerated. He _knew_ that it had been exactly like he had been towards her when he had regenerated, but his had come out of his own fear of being too affectionate. This was coming from her fear of being watched.

He hoped, anyway.

Actually, no, he didn't. As much as he missed the warmth of her previous body he hoped that it was just because she didn't want to be affectionate anymore. He wanted it to be because she didn't want to be affectionate with _him_. Anything that meant that it wasn't because she was terrified of Missy being there. Anything that meant that she wasn't scared at all anymore.

He ran a hand over his face. He knew that she was, though, and that was the worst thing. She had allowed herself a moment of comfort on Skaro and had since pulled back, preferring to look after herself. She pretended to be fine, but he knew that she wasn't. She was far from fine and he knew that he was probably the least equipped person in the universe to try and help her. Not because he couldn't comfort people, or comfort her, but because he was in the midst of his own grief and he couldn't offer her everything she needed.

In the back of his mind was always the thought that he'd never saved her. Not only had she escaped and found him – which actually was no less than he should have expected – but his wife had died. Danielle had been taken by a mad woman and had never been saved. That wasn't his fault, he knew that, but it sure felt like it was. How could he help her come back to herself if he couldn't even save her from an avoidable death?

He glanced towards the hallway. Even now, despite his rational side telling him that she was safe and sound in bed, he just wanted to go see her. Not hold her, not kiss her, not beg for her forgiven, just _see_ her. He wanted to know that she was still there because he'd spent so long not knowing where she was. He remembered getting this obsessed with it when she was jumping as the times that he spent alone grew longer. He'd thought he was over it. He obviously was not.

Damn him and his sentimentality. He was supposed to be an ancient and wise time traveller, not some love-sick puppy. He could spend a few hours on his own playing the guitar. He didn't need to see her.

He stood up and walked over to his guitar, picking it up again. He placed the strap over his head and held it like he was going to rock an arena. Which he could totally do. He should do that, one day. It was on his to-do list.

He flicked his sunglasses down from on top of his head as he got into character. He could have won that axe battle with just his guitar alone. He was fighting against a Dalek, though. It was a bit of an unfair fight.

His fingers worked magnificently across the strings and he quickly fell into playing his music once again. The calmness that fell over him with incredibly relaxing. Until he stopped, facing the doorway, where his fingers fell still once again.

He sighed in exasperation, practically ripping his sunglasses of.

 _Fine!_

If his brain was going to obsess over seeing her, he'd just dip his head into the bedroom. It wasn't like she was going to be doing anything but sleeping anyway. He probably wasn't going to get any satisfaction from the endeavour, but if it would keep the thoughts quiet then… well, a couple of minutes wouldn't hurt, would it?

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni's ability to sleep through the night was slowly improving. Whilst she was on the run every little sound would wake her up, now she found herself actually sleeping for a good few hours at a time. This body seemed to need less sleep than the previous ones. Well, it seemed that way. She liked coffee an _awful_ lot this time around. Perhaps she was just keeping herself awake.

Her thoughts were a little jumbled as she woke up, but that cup of coffee was the first thing she thought about. Then she thought about how she was in a bed. Then she thought about the warmth coming from the body that was in the bed with her.

Her mind raced. She had gone to bed on her own, which means that someone had joined her. The Doctor wouldn't have done that because he had never really been one to sleep with her. He rarely slept at all, and the idea of him coming to bed after her was actually rather laughable.

That meant one of two things. Either the Doctor was in bed next to her and Missy was trying to trick her into believing it was him, or Missy had given up the pretence and was just in bed with her. It wouldn't have been the first time she had woken up next to the other Time Lady. She loved to watch her while she was sleeping.

She opened her eyes just enough so she could focus on what was directly in front of her. She was facing the edge of the bed and her bedside table. The décor immediately told her she was in the TARDIS, so Missy was keeping her asleep. Which meant that everything she had feared so far was true. Missy was keeping her asleep. She'd never escaped.

The need to cry washed over her and she had to squeeze her eyes closed and clench her jaw to squash it down. She'd really started to believe that she with the Doctor. She'd allowed that little bit of hope that she was safe start to creep into her consciousness and now she was feeling the consequences. It was never the TARDIS. It was never an escape. It was never the Doctor.

However, now that she knew that she was asleep, she needed to focus on waking up again. That involved getting Missy to wake her up. Leaving it alone would just open herself up to more abuse than being awake. Dreaming never ended well.

She opened her eyes slightly again, scanning the area for any sort of tool, or just something she could use. The area around her was pretty bare except for the bedside lamp. It wasn't the largest, or the heaviest, but it would give someone quite the headache. It would have to do.

She stretched, imitating waking up as to not arouse suspicion, and then threw herself into her next move. With one hand she grabbed the lamp and she rolled over, on top of the woman pretending to be her husband. The lamp wasn't plugged in so she raised it above her head, a snarl on her face as she brought it down like a club.

" _Wake me up!"_

 _~0~0~0~_

The subtle changes in the way she was lying told the Doctor that Danni was starting to wake. It turned out that she was a rather still sleeper now, so even the smallest shift suggested that she wasn't quite sleeping as deeply as she had been. He smiled to himself slightly. She was a shorter sleeper now. He finally didn't have to waste hours waiting for her.

He opened his mouth to let her know he was there, but as she stretched he decided it would be rather amusing to scare her slightly. Not too much, but enough so that he could calm her down afterwards. It was a trick he used quite a lot as Eleven and had pulled a few times since. She would tell him off and he could make it better.

He had to admit, the rolling on top of him had been unexpected but wholly appreciated. The way she tried to swing the bedside lamp down into his head was less appreciated.

His hand snapped up and caught her by the wrists. "Danni!" he exclaimed in surprise. He could feel her putting all of her strength behind the swing and he actually struggled to keep her arm in the air.

"Wake me up _right now_ ," she demanded angrily. "I'm sick of your bullshit!"

"Danni, you are awake," he promised. "She's not here…"

"I'm supposed to believe you?" she retorted, grunting slightly as she pushed against him. He reached up, holding her away from him with both hands. "You're wearing my husband's face! Why the fuck would I ever believe you?"

He knew that he should have shoved her off, but the anger in her eyes said that all he would do was add to her delusion if he did. Instead he just kept her from following through on her rather sturdy swing. "It's me," he reassured as calmly as he could. "You're home. You're really here."

"Just stop it!" she exclaimed. "Just wake me up right now! I don't believe you, this isn't funny! You won! I believed it for a little while! Wake me up!"

Her voice cracked and his hearts cried out to her. She was devastated that everything she had been shown had been false. She truly wanted to believe that she was home but now it was being ripped from underneath her. If only he could make her see without a doubt that she was home. She was never going to believe anything he said even if he managed to calm her down now. She needed to see it for herself.

Of course. There she was showing him the answer again. His Danielle. Always _so_ clever.

She seemed surprised when he let go with one of his hands, like she hadn't expected him to stop resisting. His hand shot up to her temple, pressing two fingers against her. He was pleasantly surprised to see that her defences had improved until he realised _why_ she'd strengthened them in the first place. Still, he did exactly what she had done on the hillside on Skaro and flooded her with everything that was him.

It lasted only a moment but he felt the way she stopped struggling against him. He slowly lowered his hand, watching her anger and hatred drain away, leaving on a stunned look on her face. He grabbed the lamp out of her now limp grasp, chucking it to the side where it bounced off the bed and smashed onto the floor. She didn't seem to notice. She fell forward slightly, hands on either side of his shoulders and she looked at him like she was terrified.

"Theta?" she whispered, her voice hopeful. He didn't know how to respond. All he could do was confirm that he was, in fact, her Theta but for some reason that just felt not quite appropriate. She was finally realising that he was who he said he was. She needed to let herself believe it. He couldn't force it.

Seeing the way her eyes shined just brought a lump to his throat and his own tears to his eyes. "Yes?" he answered, as if she was asking him a question.

His voice startled her and she rolled off him, landing heavily on the bed next to him. Her back straightened and her eyes darted around the room even as her head didn't move. He sat up, now not in any immediate danger, and turned slightly on the spot so he could face her.

"Danielle?" he asked, concerned and she pressed her lips together. "Are you okay?"

It was a dumb question, but what else was he supposed to do? She shook her head in reply and didn't say a word. "Do you want to- well, talk about it?"

Against it was a dumb question, and again she shook her head but stayed silent. He could see the way she processing everything and so he shifted again, sitting next to her.

"Alright, we'll just sit here then," he said and then he fell silent as well. He wasn't too sure if he was supposed to bring her in for a hug, or try to force her to talk, but neither of those options seemed correct.

Danni, on the other hand, barely noticed his words at all. She felt frozen on the spot as she stared at the door opposite the bed. The door into her room with Missy had been opposite to the bed as well, but it had been on the other corner. It had always bugged her.

Missy had pretended to be the Doctor more times than Danni could count. Or, rather, Danni knew exactly how many times she'd been fooled and she really did just not want to count them. Each time she'd got the Doctor almost exactly correct for a little while, but Danni would slowly come to notice what was wrong. The first time she'd tried to force Danni to say that she loved him. There was a time when he swore. Sometimes it took a while but Danni always noticed what was wrong eventually.

This time he'd spoken correctly. He'd been open and honest about how out of his depth he was with her, and his kind gestures were all on point. But these were things Missy had done before and even though she'd tried every time to allow herself to believe, she never could. But Missy had never been able to mimic who he was. No one could fully mimic someone else's mind, no matter how hard they tried. What the Doctor had flooded her with – what _Theta_ had flooded her with – was her husband. Pure and simple. It had been the Doctor.

Which meant that _he_ was the Doctor.

Which meant she was in the TARDIS.

Which meant that she was home

Which meant that she'd escaped.

She grabbed one hand with the other, holding onto her own fingers tightly in the hopes that it would stop both of them from shaking. The relief she felt at that notion was more than overwhelming. It was, selfishly, more than when she'd realised Clara hadn't died in the Doctor's timeline, or when she realised that Eleven was going to regenerate and he wasn't going to just die. It felt like the feeling was filling up the room and some strange part of her wanted to escape it.

Pressing her lips together had become quite the habit to stop herself saying things out loud that she didn't want Missy to hear. It also helped keep her emotions at bay because it gave her something to focus on. She'd picked it up shortly after she'd regenerated. It was new. It also wasn't helping because the moment she noticed that her eyes were watering was the moment she realised that she had zero fight left within her.

She started sobbing. Heavy, loud, heaving sobs that almost hurt as she broke down. She curled up slightly into herself, unable to fight it. Every fear, every worry, every terrible thought and feeling rushed over her as her mind tried to compute just exactly what was going on. She felt the Doctor wrap her up in his arms, whisper to her, promise her things that didn't even make sense. All she could do was cry until her eyes stung and her throat hurt and she could barely breathe.

Slowly, tiredly, she started to slow down. Her tears dried up and her sobbing turned into tiny little gasps for breath. She started to stop shaking but she didn't move from his arms. She could feel him pressing soft, reassuring kisses onto her hair and they were _his_ lips. She was in _his_ arms. She was on their bed, in their home. It really had happened.

She looked up at him and saw that he was crying too. Like he was also realising the same thing. Had he thought she was a dream as well?

"I escaped," she whispered hoarsely and he nodded. "I fucking did it?"

He reached out, moving the hair that was stuck in her tear tracks. "You've gained such a potty mouth," he chided lightly. "She didn't stand a chance against you."

She laughed and he joined her. She was just so happy that it was finally over. That this was it. She was home. It was a big feeling that hit her from all sides and refused to let go. It wrapped around her, crushing her ribs and refusing to let her see anything else. Soon her laughs turned painful, and then into big gulps that she couldn't stop because it felt like she couldn't breathe. The happy, ecstatic, brilliant feeling was so large it was going to kill her.

"It's okay, you're okay," the Doctor murmured. "Just breathe, Danni. Just breathe. In and out." He made sure to exaggerate his breathing, keeping slow and steady so she could follow. Her wide eyes met his and she tried to follow. Her panic attack was completely understandable, even he was feeling massively overwhelmed. He hadn't suffered from the fear of her being a dream, but seeing her finally accept that she wasn't asleep seemed to release a lot of his own deep-seated fears that she was going to be torn from him again.

"You're okay, you're okay," he promised her again. He resisted the want to pull her closer again.

When she didn't feel like she was going to die, Danni felt rather foolish for what was, most likely, a rather large overreaction. She wiped her eyes, sniffed then wished that she had a tissue so she could clean herself up properly.

"I just…" she started, wondering how to word her thoughts. She didn't want to ramble anymore. "I never thought I would win."

He smiled, turning her to face him. "I never doubted you for one second," he replied. "She didn't stand a chance." He moved his hand backwards, cupping the back of her neck to pull her close. He rested his forehead on hers. "I'm sorry, my sweet Danielle," he said as sincerely as he could. "I promised she'd never get close to you and I was too angry to keep it."

There were so many things she wanted to tell him. She wanted to reassure him, to say that she'd forgiven him, but somehow those words didn't feel quite right. "I was there," she explained quietly. "She made me watch as you and Clara walked off and she drugged me. I don't remember it happening but I saw it all."

"I'm so sorry," was all he could say. He hadn't seen it. He'd not even noticed until it was much too late and that was all on him.

"I tried so hard to get you to hear me," she continued. "No matter how hard I shouted you never did."

"I went back," he promised her. "I tried to find you. I searched high and low. There was no trace of you anywhere.

"I was in a Cyberman." He looked stunned. "She didn't keep me in there long. It felt long, but I don't think it was."

She'd been there the entire time. He should have known. Missy pretended like she didn't want to show off but, like all of the regenerations before her, she just couldn't help herself. She had taken Danni from underneath his nose and then had shown her off by putting her into the shell of the creatures that she had…

"You said that it wasn't the first time Missy had put someone in a robot," he remembered. "That was you."

Danni nodded. "I had a hunch from the moment she started saying Clara was dead. If she had been then it would have been the first thing Missy would have told you. She was overcompensating because Clara was in the Dalek."

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair. "I always thought that, even if she got her hands on you, she'd look after you," he said. "Well, maybe not look after, but not be so… cruel about it. When he fought back Rassilon for you I thought…" He sighed heavily. Saying it out loud made it seem so ridiculous. "I don't know what I thought."

Danni pressed her lips together again. She still had so much to tell him. He didn't even know about… well, the less he knew about the one he never got to meet the better, she guessed. It wasn't the same as having a secret regeneration before he'd even met her.

And then there was all of the times that Missy had flaunted her around his time line. She wasn't sure if he knew the extent of her presence in his lives. Part of her knew that he'd want to know, but part of her just didn't want him to know. She was still so angry and so she kept it all to herself.

"Something must have happened when she regenerated," she said softly. "I don't think he would have… not before Gallifrey, anyway."

The Doctor watched her look down at her hands, almost ashamed of the statement she'd given. He didn't agree. He had known the Master such a long time that Missy didn't seem a step away from the norm, but he didn't want to upset her further.

He reached out, brushing the hair away from her face so he could see it better. He had to let the old body go because she was gone. He'd failed her, but he'd be damned if he failed her again. A new body meant a new chance. He wasn't going to lose her again over a regeneration.

"You're home," he told her. "And you're safe. That's all that matters now. You've been hurt, and you are hurting, but don't you worry about anything. I'm going to help you however you need me to, just like you helped me."

Her lips pulled into a small smirk. "Trust you, you're the Doctor?" she asked and he shot her a look at her cheek.

"Exactly," he replied. "Whatever you want, or need, my Pet and we'll do it." He leant back against the headrest, feet up on the bed. She seemed calmer and he decided that it was time for what he'd come in for. "Come here."

She smiled, like she'd not expected him to be kind to her. Had she forgotten, or had Missy just been that cruel to her that she couldn't imagine kindness anymore? Still, she shuffled back and leant against his side, allowing herself to relax against him. He felt so solid. She could hear his hearts beating. How was he staying so calm? She felt like a gust of wind would cause her to collapse. She really didn't like feeling this vulnerable. She did her best to hide it from the universe, but she guessed she'd never been good at hiding it from him.

She shifted slightly, but spent a while enjoying being held by someone who wanted nothing but to hold her. She wasn't exactly used to being allowed to make decisions without there being a large and rather horrid consequences. Even though he wasn't exactly encouraging her to choose something to do _right now_ , her mind flew to only one thing.

She'd spent a lot of time thinking. What else did she have to do while being trapped in a bedroom than read and think? It wasn't like she'd been allowed access to technology or things like the internet. She'd, later on, been allowed to watch movies, but she'd become rather adept at spending time not doing much. Her mind was a brilliant thing, it would seem. She had thought about life. She'd thought about the universe. She'd thought about what Theta had been doing, or about what they would have been doing had they been together. She thought about friends, about Clara and the life she could have been leading. She thought about family. She thought about her mum and dad and trying to unlock memories so she could remember their faces. She thought about Jack and River, and what they were doing across the many stages of their lives.

She created worlds inside her head, which had gotten her incredibly interested in learning more about the multiverse theory for a time. Or, rather, the multiverse in its actuality. She'd lived the multiverse. She was a _pro_ at the multiverse.

"Actually, I do have- I do have something I wouldn't mind doing," she admitted softly. "Not that I don't just want to- you know – lie here all day with you because I really feel that might be good for my wellbeing, but I just thought…" She shook her head. "You know what? I think I'd just- I think staying would be a good idea."

"Well, why don't we compare the two?" the Doctor suggested. "And then we'll do the thing you want anyway."

She rolled her eyes. "I thought maybe- maybe we could go see Jack?" she suggested quietly. He felt many things. He was ecstatic that she was going against her previous ways of wanting to haul up in the TARDIS when she was scared. However, was he fond of the idea that her first request was to go to that philandering American Captain who was entirely too good looking no matter how much he aged? No, not particularly.

"If that is what you wish, my Pet," he replied smoothly.

She frowned, pushing off him and looking down at him. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Of course," he replied, confused.

"Because you don't have to go see Jack if you don't want to," she told him. "I won't make you. I wouldn't – I won't make anyone do anything they don't want to."

"You're not making me do anything," he pointed out. She just looked at him like she was waiting for the actual answer. He sighed. "You could always see right through me."

"Yes, I could, and I can," she agreed. It felt wonderful to say that and know that she was actually talking to the real Doctor, and that she could really see right through him. "We don't have to."

"We do," he told her. "It's not going that I…" He probably should go back. Jack, River, Amy… None of them knew that Danni was safe. He needed to get onto that eventually, Jack was a good place to start. "He's always flirting with you!"

Danni felt muscles relax that she didn't even know she'd tensed. Apparently she was more worried about making him made that she'd realised. "He's my dad," she reminded him. "He flirts with everyone."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," the Doctor retorted. "You did kiss him once, remember?"

"And he was still my dad then," Danni countered. "And he's my dad now. You have nothing to worry about."

"I know that."

He was grumbling and she almost rolled her eyes before she realised what he was suggesting. "Hang on, are you saying that you expect me to run off with my _father_?" she exclaimed. "That's gross!"

He looked at her, alarmed he'd offended her. "That's not what I'm saying!" he quickly replied. "I just don't like that he flirts with you."

"Oh, you're worried he's going to run off with his daughter," she corrected before pulling a face. "That's just as gross! He's a slut, but that doesn't mean… How dare you, he's my father!"

The Doctor shook his head, wondering how he'd gotten himself into such a deep hole so quickly. "That's not what I'm saying! I'm not- Danielle will you stop laughing?"

 _~0~0~0~_

Rick Pelham had thought that his day was going to go so well. He had started the day by getting dressed in his most expensive suit. He'd made sure that his stylist had done his hair just right, and he'd had a cup of his favourite coffee. Sure, he had a press conference scheduled but he was completely on top of it. The journalists had been flown out to his ship, where they were stuck until a particularly nasty storm passed. That way he could fill them to the brim with his words and his charm and they could sell him and his product to the world.

But then there had been one man. One man who, for all intents and purposes, looked like the rest of the suited journalists who were lapping up his pre-prepared answers and selling pitches. He was good looking, Rick could admit that, but that was never a threat. He was Rick Pelham, after all. His own good looks were just a bonus.

But this man just would not accept the answers he was supposed to. Every question had a follow up. Each answer was met with another question as he tried to get more information out of Rick than he was willing to give.

"Forgive me, Mister…?"

"Harkness," the man replied with a bit of smirk. "Captain Jack Harkness, actually."

"Captain Harkness." Pelham forced himself to smile. "And which paper are you from, again?"

"Oh, the Weston Mail," he said.

"Well, you've been asking rather a lot of questions. Perhaps if someone else could ask something…"

"Well, I'm sure they're all thinking the same as I am," Jack replied confidently. "How, out of all the hundreds and hundreds of miles of ice and snow in Antarctica, how did you manage to find the Fire Ice? After all, striking gold on the first try is pretty lucky, isn't it?"

"It wasn't exactly luck, Mister Harkness," he said. "We did a lot of research. Now that I am ready to deliver our first shipload of fuel to the world, it seems a good time to…"

Jack raised his pen, catching his attention and interrupting his pitch. "Yes, that is also something we're all interested in," he explained. "How did you extract and refine it so quickly? You've managed it in just a few weeks. And that's under all of that snow and ice. It just seems a bit impossible, doesn't it?"

"Well, Mister Harkness, it may seem that way. However, I can assure you that my company and myself know what we are doing," Pelham said through gritted teeth. "Perhaps if you let me continue I can prove that to you."

Jack made a motion with his pen, obviously backing down and somehow that infuriated Pelham even more. Still, he kept his cool up until the moment the alarms on the ship they were currently sat on began sounding off.

Pelham turned to his assistant, Matt. "What the devil is going on?"

Matt held his finger to his ear, trying to ignore the noise around him. "It's the refinery, sir. There's been some sort of accident." He looked shocked. "Some kind of animal attack."

Jack, who had appeared from nowhere with a grim look on his face, leant in closer so he could be heard over the alarms. "Perhaps we should go see what's wrong," he suggested. "I've medical training, I could be of help."

Pelham didn't like the sound of a journalist being able to nosy around his refinery, but he needed to be seen as being as open and honest as possible. With a nod, he turned to his assistant. "Get a helicopter ready. We need to fly out before the storm hits."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Happy New Year! I do hope that you are all well :)_

 _The end of this chapter, and the story that follows, is from the Doctor Who Quick Reads ' **The Silurian Gift** ' by **Mike Tucker**. I've changed it slightly because it's an Eleven solo story and, well, it's now not Eleven and Jack's adventure, but as doing Silhouette seemed to go well in Undone I thought I'd give it a shot here XD_

 _Not much to update you on, to be honest, otherwise. Don't forget to review! I do love it so :D_

 _Reviews!_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- I'm glad someone noticed that line. I was very proud of that line :P x_

 _ **Quinnmarie** \- I totally agree. I get the feeling that this Danni really can survive on her own. It's more of a case that it's better with two, rather than relying on the Doctor. Thanks sweetie! Hope you had a good holiday season :)_

 _ **bored411** \- Thanks sweetie! Glad you liked it :)_

 _ **Authora97** \- Yep, that was my intention. Season 10, my friend, Season 10. It's going to be spectacular :P_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie!_


	17. The Father-Daughter Duo

The storm was going to be pretty hellish. The whole base, it seemed, wanted to warn him about it, but Jack suspected that had more to do with the fact they wanted to keep him from following Pelham than it was concern about his safety. After all, the man of the hour was still heading out to the refinery. Jack was very keen on joining him, though, so took a moment to enjoy the sailors unlashing the helicopter from the deck of the tanker. He did love a good uniform.

Pelham's discovery had been all over the newspapers and, while waiting around, Jack had picked up on a few things that really seemed too good to be true about his story. The planet was already too drained of all conventional fuel for him to find anything, let alone something that was cleaner than anything they'd ever used before. And, because he'd been working with UNIT after River had dumped him off to find Danni, he'd decided it was worth a look into. They'd managed to get him into the press conference. Sometimes a hunch paid off, because there was now a mystery animal attack that really sounded like it wasn't what it seemed.

Pelham's assistant, Matt, waved him over. "If you're coming, you'd better hurry. There's a storm blowing. We need to leave before it hits."

"I guessed that," he replied before he started the walk across. The wind was already picking up, so he barely heard the voice calling from behind him.

"Captain Harkness! Hang on a moment." He turned to see a young woman hurrying towards him. It wasn't the first time that had happened, but the briefcase she was carrying made it more intriguing than normal.

"You're so forgetful," she told him as she panted lightly. "You left your case!" She turned to Matt, giving him a big smile and holding her hand out to him. "Lizzie Davies. Captain Harkness's assistant. I'll be coming too."

Matt ignored the offered hand and ushered them towards the helicopter. "Yes, fine. Just hurry. Mr Pelham wants to get to the refinery as quickly as possible."

Jack wasn't surprised in the slightest that Pelham was in the pilot's seat. Men like him tended to have many talents and also liked to be in control in crisis situations. He didn't comment, just motioned Lizzie in first before strapping himself into seat next to her.

He leant in a little closer. "That was a bold move," he praised. "I'm impressed."

"Yes, well, you don't get anyway in this business without being a little cocky," she replied. "I hope you don't mind."

"If I minded I would have said something before we got into the chopper," he pointed out. "Captain Jack Harkness, by the way."

"I know that," she said with a sly smile. "I'm your assistant, remember?"

"For now," he replied cheekily. "We'll see what tonight holds."

 _~0~0~0~_

Jack remembered why he stopped going undercover. As he sat in the helicopter listening to Matt's spiel, he really felt he could have just made it to the base on his own. He didn't really care about how Pelham was going to see this mysterious Fire Ice to the masses. He wanted to know what it was, and what exactly had attacked his worker.

All Jack could see was a lot of potential to ruin the planet, but then again he also knew that humans of this era were prone to trying to destroy their home world. It was rather annoying on a good day, and absolutely infuriating on a bad one.

Still, he kept his mouth shut and kept his comments to himself. They had enough to deal with as they entered the refinery and were met with a dozen or so frantic assistants, all talking over each other as they flocked to their boss. Pelham seemed to watch them for a moment as they tripped over each other before he slammed his hand against the wall.

" _Quiet!"_ he shouted. Instantly there was silence. Jack was actually rather impressed, but again kept it to himself. After all he was pretty sure that Pelham was the bad guy in all of this. He didn't seem as concerned about the attack as someone should be. That normally meant that he had more to worry about.

Pelham glared at his staff. "I am going to my office. I want a full report on my desk within ten minutes. Everything else can wait. The most important thing right now is to see whether we have lost any fuel barrels."

"Actually, I would think that the most important thing is your injured crewman, is it not?" Jack piped up just to undermine him. He loved to make a self-important man flustered. For a moment Jack genuinely thought he was going to get a punch to the face, but Pelham pulled his emotions under control and took a deep breath to calm himself down. "You are quite right, Mr Harkness. My assistant will show you to the sickbay at once."

With that, Pelham turned and vanished down the corridor. His assistants followed him meekly, all obviously rather intimidated by him.

Matt turned to Jack, looking absolutely amazed. "I've never seen him admit that he's wrong before."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Jack replied with a shrug. "Show us the way, Matty-boy." He clapped Matt on the shoulder, probably a little too hard by the way he seemed to stumble even though he wasn't moving.

"Of- of course, this way."

 _~0~0~0~_

The sick bay was, pretty much, completely pathetic. There were two beds surrounded by the bare minimum of equipment with a small office off in one corner. Obviously Pelham had wanted to cut as many costs as he could. And, probably, was arrogant enough to believe that he would never need it.

Unfortunately, Bob Clamp needed it. His injuries were quite severe but the base's medic had been able to treat them fairly easily. It was the fever that was worrying her. His temperature was higher than a human should have had, and he'd sweated out more fluid than they could keep him pumped with considering the size of the bay.

He was muttering and, as Beryl tried to dismiss his ramblings, Jack leant in closer. It was the same four words over and over again and Jack was more inclined to believe him than anyone else. He stood up, quickly disinfecting his hands.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say he'd been poisoned," Jack commented. "But he's not rambling. He's telling us what attacked him. He was attacked by a dinosaur." He turned to Matt. "I need to go to the site where he was attacked."

Matt was quick to shake his head. "There's a storm coming. It is not advised to…"

"I'm sure it's not but, the man was attacked by a dinosaur," Jack replied. "How about we get out there as quick as we can? There's a good chap."

Even though he wanted to object, Matt nodded. "Follow me, then, Captain Harkness. I'm sure we can arrange that."

Jack shot Lizzie a look. "I'm guessing you're coming with us?" he asked and she nodded.

"Couldn't keep me away," she replied. "I need to get some good photos, don't I?"

"Can't argue with that logic," Jack replied. "Alright, don't wander off, keep close and make sure you snap anything out of the ordinary."

"Like a dinosaur?" she joked.

"Nah, that's just another day," Jack retorted. "I mean something much, much stranger."

 _~0~0~0~_

The barrels of Fire Ice seemed relatively untouched. Jack took a moment to look them over. He crouched down by one of them, wondering if he could just pop the top off one. They seemed rather well sealed, though, and he'd not brought his heat gun. He'd not thought it necessary as he'd really not seen himself getting this far. He should have known his life didn't work that way.

Lizzie and Matt hung back slightly and he knew they were talking about him, despite not being able to hear them over the roaring wind. The storm was starting to really pick up. He'd not be able to stay out much longer.

He stood back up, pulling his coat closer in the hopes of trapping in a little bit more of his body heat. He was just about to turn around and head back when he could have sworn he'd heard some buzzing. A high pitch squeal that, at first, he put down to his over active imagination and his worry over his daughter.

The second time he heard it, though, he knew he wasn't imagining it. It was hard to hear anything over the wind so it had to be close. He strode over, hand going into his pocket just in case. He'd not brought his heat gun, but that didn't mean he'd not come armed. He peered over a barrel and saw the top of a head covered in brown hair. The woman who was hiding was holding a sonic screwdriver and the moment he'd appeared she turned, pointing it up at him like it was a weapon.

He frowned. She didn't look like his daughter, or at least the Dannis he'd seen so far, but there were very few people in the universe who would carry a sonic screwdriver like a weapon. "Danni?" he called over the wind.

She climbed off the snow, brushing herself down. "Jack!" she cried back. "We didn't think you were here!"

Instead of asking her what she was doing there he just grinned and pulled her in for a hug. Immediately he felt her stiffen, as if surprised by the sudden assault. She gingerly gave him a pat on the back and then pulled away.

"When are you from?" he asked, because having a time travelling family meant that anyone could be at any point in their own personal time line.

Danni shifted slightly uncomfortable, placing her sonic screwdriver back in her pocket just so she could feel the gun that also sat in there. The cold of the metal calmed her down enough. "Um, well, I'm the Danni you've been looking for, if-if that's what you mean," she replied. "If the Doctor aimed right, anyway."

"He found you?" Jack asked, amazed. " _And_ managed to get Missy to let you go?"

Danni shifted. "Something like that," she replied vaguely. She knew Jack instantly noticed how she didn't want to talk about it, which was great because she _really_ didn't want to talk about it. Instead he let it go graciously. She had prepared for that conversation, but then they'd landed at the South Pole and that preparation went out of the window.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, getting back to business.

"We were coming to see you, but we landed here and we thought the TARDIS had pulled us off course," she explained. "So we started to investigate. This fuel doesn't seem like anything any human should have any access to. The Doctor's inside having a nosy, but I wanted to see what else I could find."

"And?"

"Well, this fuel is definitely out of its time," she replied. "I mean, there's no reason to say it's alien, but the time period is all wrong. Also, there's that." She pointed down to the footprint that, up until that moment, Jack hadn't noticed. It wasn't a small footprint either.

"Oh, here comes the cavalry," Danni murmured, confusing Jack for a moment. Then, Matt and Lizzie appeared at his side. Matt looked positively fuming while Lizzie was just plain confused.

"Who are you and how did you get here?" he demanded.

Danni looked him up and down for a moment before shooting him a smirk. "Danni, sweetie," she introduced. "And as you've got a dinosaur running about, how about you drop the third degree, eh?"

"A dinosaur?" he scoffed and Jack directed his attention down to the footprint.

"I think that backs up our victims claim, don't you?" he added.

"You have got to be kidding…" Matt breathed, eyes wide.

"Definitely not," Danni said. She looked up at Jack. "He your latest pick up?" she asked bluntly.

"No, of course not," Jack defended. "I don't flirt with everyone, you know?"

"Um, well…" Lizzie started without looking up from the footprint. "Actually, all you've done is flirt with me…"

"I'm just being friendly," he exclaimed. "Can't a guy be friendly anymore?"

"A guy? Sure. You? Definitely not," Danni retorted. "And to think; once upon a time I was the one you flirted with. Been away two minutes and you're already replacing me."

"Never," Jack promised. "I'm just biding my time."

"Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say," Danni retorted. "Where do you think the big fella has got to?" she asked, nodding at the footprint.

"I've got to tell Mr Pelham," Matt said nervously.

Danni rolled her eyes as Lizzie took out her camera from underneath her parka. "And I've got to get some pictures."

Matt and Lizzie fought for a moment about her right to take pictures on Pelham's property, before the pair rushed back off towards the base.

"She's totally not a journalist," Danni commented and Jack nodded.

"I think she's an activist of some kind. People aren't happy about the damage that might be happening to the continent," he explained. "She hijacked my ride here pretending to be my assistant."

"Jack," Danni groaned as they started heading towards the base after the two. "Can't you just say hello to people?"

"I didn't invite her," he protested.

"No, but she did say that you flirted with her," Danni reminded. "And that is very you, so I'm inclined to believe her."

"Yeah, yeah, so you've said," he grumbled. "What's the plan, Danni-Girl?"

"Find the Doctor, convince this Pelham guy to stop whatever he's doing, and find ourselves a dinosaur," she listed off. "I should be pretty good at that. For a while I got stuck on a planet made up entirely of lizards and other large reptiles. Spent a fortnight trying not to be eaten. I mean, dinosaurs aren't _too_ far off, right?"

 _~0~0~0~_

"I'm with UNIT," Danni declared. Pelham had been rather vocal since they'd walked into his office. Danni, immediately, had decided she didn't like him. He was hiding something. His outrage at a random person being on his premises seemed a lot more than just anger at someone breaking in. It was why she didn't mention the Doctor and pulled her other big card out.

"UNIT?" Pelham scoffed. "You expect me to believe that you're from UNIT _and_ there's a dinosaur running about? Rubbish! This is just another attempt to stop me. You're as bad as those green activists from Wholeweal. Worried about penguins or polar bears."

"Well, first of all, polar bears are from the North Pole. If you'd done even a little bit of a survey on the area you've supposedly drilled up this fire-oil-thing from you'd know that," Danni replied. "Secondly, he's also from UNIT," she nodded towards Jack, "your vetting system for your press conferences is almost as bad as the government planet I broke into recently. Fun story, I'll tell you sometime." She shot him a smirk as Jack watched on in amusement. "And, thirdly, you have an eyewitness."

"What I have is a man with a raging fever and rather substantial wounds," Pelham spat back. "Of course he's raging on about dinosaurs, he probably thinks Santa Claus is his nurse." His eyes narrowed slightly. "In fact, all I see here is a trespasser who seems to know a lot about my staff. How do I know you're not the one who attacked him?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, for starters, there's only one man who's back I scratch and he's not here right now." She spared a glance over at Jack, who didn't look too pleased at her comment. "Sorry, Dad."

He held his hands up. "Just please don't mention it again."

Danni agreed. She turned her attention back to Pelham. "Do you really think that _anyone_ would cover up their own crime by crying 'it's a dinosaur'?" she asked him. "I mean, I know the general public can be quite idiotic, but really?"

"There's no dinosaurs, or yetis. The Loch Ness Monster has not come for a visit. You must think that I'm pretty stupid, Miss Fielding-"

" _Mrs_ Fielding."

"But I can assure you I'm not," he continued like she hadn't interrupted. He really didn't have time for these stupid interruptions. He was only here because he needed to sort out whatever had happened before it got out to the public. He wasn't going to delay his billion-dollar idea because of a few whiny environmentalists. "All these protests and rally groups are sweet, but I've really reached the end of my tether with them."

Danni nodded slowly. "Totally understand that," she agreed. "Protest groups can really get on your nerves when they're protesting against you. However, I would also like to correct you on one little detail you've missed."

Pelham sighed heavily, letting out what sounded like a small growl. " _What?_ "

"You're not very smart," Danni broke to him. "You've got all these plans in place to sell your precious Fire Ice, but you've let one rather large part of it slip."

"I'm sorry—" Pelham started, his face turning a red that Matt had rarely ever seen and never wanted to, either.

"You're not very observant, are you Mr Pelham?" Danni asked over his protests. "In fact, you don't seem to be paying attention at all."

"Mrs Fielding, what is the point of all this?" he asked her shortly.

"Lizzie," she replied. "She left when you started arguing with me. I'm guessing you didn't notice? We really should—"

Pelham's gaze snapped sharply to the back of the room, where the door was indeed still slightly open. "How dare… No one can just go running about! Find her, now!" He moved from behind his desk and stormed out of the room, Matt close on his heels.

Danni turned to Jack. "Honestly, it's a wonder anything gets done on this planet," she told him.

"Not all of us are idiots, Danni-Girl," he reminded her before giving a nod towards the door. "We should follow just in case."

She followed him out of the door and down the hallway towards where, inevitably, Pelham had gone. "I mean, it's not like I don't know what I'm talking about," she reasoned. "I've dealt with prehistoric creatures before. One of my best friend's is a lizard from the dawn of creation."

"Ah, Vastra," Jack recalled fondly. "I haven't seen her since…" Since the last time he was on the TARDIS, when they were looking for her. Danni didn't want to talk about it, but perhaps… "How did she react to you coming home?" he asked casually.

"Ah, well, I'm sure she'll be delighted," Danni replied a little awkwardly. "I'll get onto that soon."

"You haven't told her?" Jack asked, surprised.

"I've just not had time," Danni retorted, defensive. "It's not like I wasn't planning on it. I came to see you, didn't I?"

"It's just not like you, that's all," he offered. "I'm used to a Danni who likes to get as many people in the same place as possible."

"Yeah, well, people change," she replied shortly. She really didn't want to talk about how she'd not wanted to contact anyone yet, despite actually wanting to see people. After all, it was only recently she'd actually started to accept she was home again. Even now, even knowing and having proof she was free, she still couldn't help but look around, looking for a door out into Paradise and to Missy.

Jack knew he should apologise, but there was a large gust of wind and the walls rattled. The storm was coming in now, heavy and hard and they both paused.

"You'd think they'd have built the base out of stronger stuff," Danni commented, a little nervously. "I hope the Doctor's okay."

"I'm sure he's fine," Jack reassured her just as the lights went out. He immediately went for his gun, pulling it out ready. There was a suspected dinosaur on the loose, after all. He felt Danni back up into him just as the emergency lights came on.

"Right, stay close," he stated. "She can't have got far." He glanced down at his daughter and had to double take. She was looking down the hallway the opposite way to him, but she held a gun in her hand. She didn't even look uncomfortable, which went against everything he'd ever learnt about her or the Doctor.

"I think she went that way," she told him, turning to face the same way as him. "I don't think the power outage is a coincidence, do you?"

"You have a gun," he said, still rather surprised. She sighed heavily and pocketed it.

"I'm not doing this again," she grumbled. "Come on. The quicker we can find her the quicker we can work out what the hell is going on."

She started back down the hallway again and Jack followed, a little stunned but even more alert. Even if the power outage was a coincidence – and he was very much inclined to side with Danni on that one – then there still was something on the loose. And now it was dark and even harder to find it.

"Jack!" Danni suddenly sped up, running away from him. He followed and she dropped to the ground. Lizzie was sprawled on the floor, unconscious, and she quickly checked her over. She rummaged in her pocket but all she found was gun.

"Damn," she muttered to herself. She'd left her sonic screwdriver on the barrel of Fire Ice. She remembered putting it down and had thought she'd picked it up again. Luckily the TARDIS was parked close by so she could pick it up again, but she had to be more careful. She had just been more concerned about her gun.

But, seeing as she didn't have her screwdriver, she instead reached forward and gave Lizzie a sharp tap on the face. "Come on, wake up."

Lizzie groaned and forced her eyelids open. She blinked groggily at them. "Jack?"

"Hey, steady," Jack said as she tried to sit up. She'd obviously had taken a rather hard whack on the head. He helped her lean against the wall. "What happened?"

Lizzie rubbed her head where she'd been hit. "I got lost when the lights went out. I was trying to find my way back when—" Her eyes suddenly widened and she clutched at the Jack's arm. "It was here! Right here!"

"The dinosaur?" Danni asked, looking behind them. There didn't seem to be any damage from a dinosaur rampage. "Are you sure?"

"I didn't get a proper look," she admitted. "It was dark. I felt fur!"

"Fur?" Jack and Danni shared a look. "Dinosaurs didn't have fur, did they?"

Danni shrugged. "Well, quite a lot had feathers," she said. "Some of them _might_ have had fur. I haven't really explored all of them, to be fair. I've had better things to do with my time."

"It wasn't big, though," Lizzie continued. "Not big enough to make those footprints, this was small, like a child…"

Danni leant back on her heels, looking up and down the hallway. She couldn't see much because the emergency lighting, but there were a few doors up and down. It reminded her too much of the hallways in Missy's Paradise headquarters, but she tried to not dwell on it too much. In fact, there was a door just behind Lizzie. The power room.

Danni made a note to ask her what, exactly, she had been doing in the power room but for now she just stood up and reached for the handle. The door wasn't just unlocked, it was actually rather warm. That came from all the power in there, she supposed.

She swiftly pulled the door closed as there was a whir of power. The red emergency lights faded as the main lighting came back on. At the same time, there was the sound of footsteps in the corridor and the bellow of a familiar voice.

"I should have guessed that you would be the cause of this!" Pelham snarled at Lizzie. He appeared with Matt at his side and a bunch of guards following him like puppies. "Messing around with the power cell, were you?"

Danni rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, really?" she snapped. "She's obviously had a knock on the head. She didn't have a chance to mess with the power."

"That's nothing to what will happen to her if she's damaged anything! I knew there was something fishy about you lot. From Wholeweal, are you? Here to shut me down?"

"I've already told you; we're from UNIT!" Danni exclaimed. "Jesus wept your observation skills are really fucking terrible, aren't they? Look!" She grabbed his tie, pulling him forward so he could see Lizzie more closely. "See that? That's a camera. It takes pictures." She let him go. Matt seemed horrified and Pelham was too surprised by being touched by _anyone_ to react. "There's a dinosaur running about. She was taking pictures, that's her job! Don't be so thick!"

"Danni," Jack warned and she took a deep breath to calm herself down. He was just blowing things out of proportion just because he was hiding something and it was incredibly frustrating. Even his face was annoying her at this point.

"Lizzie says she was attacked," Danni continued slowly, trying to stay calmed. "The thing that attacked her wasn't the dinosaur who attacked your crewman and it's still in the base. We need to search right away…"

"What, another dinosaur?" Pelham asked mockingly. "If there is something in this base then my men will deal with it." He turned to the guards who were standing over his shoulder. "I think visiting time is over. Get them out of here. Send them back to the ship."

"That's not going to be possible _just_ yet," Matt spoke up nervously. "We can't get the helicopter airborne until the storm is over. That could be several hours according to weather control."

"Then lock them up somewhere!" Pelham shouted. "Just keep them out of my way. I've got a meeting with the scientific team and I don't want to be disturbed!"

With that, Pelham spun on his heel and swept back down the corridor. Matt glared at them all and held out his hand.

"Your gun, Captain Harkness." Jack wasn't exactly happy to hand it over, but as he didn't ask for Danni's he knew that they weren't completely unarmed. The trio was then marched to the storeroom, where they were locked in. Matt instructed a guard to wait outside and then disappeared after his boss.

"Remind me why we didn't just head to the TARDIS?" Jack asked Danni.

"Because do you really want Pelham to know the TARDIS even exists?" she countered, sitting down against one of the walls. "The Doctor will be here soon. We've just got to sit tight."

"Who's the Doctor?" Lizzie asked, intrigued.

"My husband," Danni replied shortly. "He's also exploring. He shouldn't be long, though."

"I want a word with your husband," Jack said. "He dropped me off for a break and never returned. He just disappeared from the universe."

"Yeah, so I've been told," Danni replied offhandedly. "I'm sure he'll listen to none of your complaints then point out that I am, in fact, back home so it doesn't matter anyway."

"Well, he still should have come got us when he came to save you," Jack grumbled. He was her _father_ , after all. He had just as much claim to have saved her as the Doctor did.

"I'm not arguing with you on his behalf. You're both grown men and I'm not getting in the middle of it." Jack sat down next to her, sensing that he'd hit a nerve he didn't know was even exposed.

"Were you there long?" he asked quietly.

"Long enough," she replied shortly. "If I had my stupid screwdriver I could open the door for us. Or, if he carried his phone I'd be able to ring him. I'm going to have to have a word with him."

"Danni…"

"Drop it," she snapped. "Jack just… just drop it."

Lizzie looked between the two. The atmosphere was rather heavy and, wherever this woman had appeared from, something had happened. And, if she'd been an _actual_ journalist she'd probably be able to work it out. She wasn't, though.

"Is leaving even a good idea?" she offered. "I mean, we're already in a _lot_ of trouble as is it."

Danni shrugged. "Stay here, then," she replied bluntly. "But the moment he turns up we're going to go find out what's actually going on. I'm sure that wherever Pelham is will be where the information is."

"How's he going to get us out, though?" Lizzie asked. "I mean, we're locked in and there's a guard."

"Guards are easy," Jack dismissed. "And, judging by the storm, the base is probably going to shut down for a while. With Pelham in his meeting and his little monkey—"

"I knew you fancied him," Danni teased lightly.

"-following him around he's not going to be an issue either," he finished, ignoring his daughter's comment. "It's just a matter of time before…"

The door clicked, unlocking before Jack could even finish his sentence. The door opened and the Doctor's head peered around, his gaze scanning around and immediately finding his wife.

"I should have known you'd get yourself caught," he admonished as he opened the door fully. "I told you to stick with me instead of going off with your own father."

"No you didn't," she said as she stood up. "In fact you were just as convinced as I was that he wasn't even here. You're the one who wanted to split up."

He didn't even greet Jack, which was mainly down to the glare that Jack was sending his way. He knew that he had a couple of questions to answer from the man and he didn't particularly want to answer them now. Instead he nodded towards the young woman who also seemed to be trapped in the room. "Who's that?"

"Jack's companion," she explained briefly. She walked to his side and immediately felt a little calmer. "There's a meeting going on we _really_ need to be a part of."

He waved his arm to let her go first. "Sounds delightful, my Pet," he replied and she strode out with the expectation that she would be followed. He loved to see her so confident, in fact he took a moment to watch her walk away just to enjoy it.

When he turned back around he was met with Jack's rather angry face. This he liked a lot less. "When this is over you're going to tell me where the hell you went," Jack told him firmly, with no room for argument.

The Doctor held his hands up in surrender. "Wasn't going to keep it to myself," he replied cockily.

Jack felt like strangling him. He got on with the Doctor most of the time – his eleventh body aside – but that didn't mean that man didn't infuriate him. "You should have come got me before you saved her."

The Doctor shot him a look like he was completely confused. "Who said I saved her?" he replied. "Come on, all you humans do is chitchat. We don't have time for idleness. There's something rather fishy going on."

He turned, leaving Jack and Lizzie stood there. His words had taken Jack by surprised, but it was Lizzie who spoke up first.

"Did- Did he say 'you humans'?" she asked. "Like-Like he isn't one."

Jack just patted her on the arm. "You get used to it," he said before following.

"- we think it was a dinosaur of some kind. The footprint was definitely suggested it was," Danni was saying. "But Lizzie was attacked by something different."

"There isn't a lot of equipment," the Doctor shot back. "The drill is only there for show. No one is doing any work."

"Pelham became very suspicious when I told him he was from UNIT."

Jack watched them with a fond smile. He'd seen them do this before; shoot information back and forth as they tried to one up each other. This was the first time he'd seen this Danni and, he had to admit, everything was just a little bit confusing. She was just so different to the timid blonde Danni who must have come before her. However, this felt a lot more natural and he knew he'd continue to try and find the Danni he knew in her whilst learning the new personality.

He also didn't miss the resemblance to himself and, he had to admit, he kinda loved it.

The Doctor stopped by a door, getting closer so he could listen through it. "This is where I saw him go through," he whispered. Danni joined him. There was the sound of someone talking, but it was muffled and the words weren't clear at all.

Pelham's reply was, though. " _You told me that we would have no problem extracting the Fire Ice in quantity! We had an agreement. If I find that you have gone back on that agreement then you know what will happen! Think about that!"_

The two Time Lords jumped back and the group pushed against the wall as the door slammed open and Pelham came out. He was so infuriated that he, and Matt who quickly followed, stormed off down the corridor, bellowing orders.

"Well, someone's cross," Danni commented. She looked up at her husband, a smirk appearing on her face. "Maybe we should go clean up his mess? I'm sure I can charm them back on side?"

The Doctor could see the sparkle in her eye. He could hear the flirt in her tone and the challenge in her words.

"You're so enticing," he said bluntly, much to Jack's dismay.

Danni just looked incredibly smug. "I know," she replied. "And you love it." The Doctor watched her walk into the room and hoped, beyond anything, that he could react to her flirting soon.

"Sorry to barge in, but after _that_ argument I think that you could us a helping…"

She trailed off and the Doctor and Jack shared a look. They both quickly followed her in. From behind them, Lizzie gasped as the other three just stared in disbelief.

Bright intelligent eyes stared from delicately scared faces. Elegant crests and fins jutted from the hairless heads. The scientists weren't human.

"What are they?" Lizzie asked in amazement.

"They're Silurians," Danni replied, sounding rather surprised. "And that question was rather rude."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Hello everybody! Hope you're all well! Don't forget to drop a review and let me know what you're thinking of the story so far :D I answer them at the end of the next chapter (most of the time. I do try!)_

 _As always, make sure you go read the Quick Reads book this is based off. It's called **The Silurian Gift** by **Mike Tucker** and is an Eleven story that I've edited._

 _Reviews!_

 _ **serena** \- Thanks sweetie! Hope you liked this one too :)_

 _ **whitedwarf** \- Thanks sweetie! I'd been sitting on that for a little while so I'm glad you liked it :)_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Oh yeah, there's going to be moments where she checks. Old habits die hard and all that. It's a good little book, it's only a Quick Read one so it's like 100 pages at most, but it's a good old fashioned romp!_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie! I'm sure she'll fall back, but for now she's got enough proof to actually believe it :)_

 _ **Authora97** \- Why thank you! Hehe, yeah, he knows that there's absolutely no reason to be jealous but that doesn't matter XD_

 _ **bored411** \- They are! It's so good, isn't it? I hope you enjoy it. It's a good little read :)_

 _ **Quinnmarie** \- Yeah, she's got it! Stories about what happened are going to slowly trickle out over the series, but it definitely won't be everything and she will keep a lot to herself. I hope you enjoy it :D_


	18. The Father-Daughter Reunion

"You say 'Silurians' like I should know what you mean," Lizzie said, reaching out to grip Danni's arm nervously. "Are they aliens?"

Danni quickly shrugged off her hand. "Yeah, don't do that," she drawled. "And you're still being rude. You shouldn't talk about people like they're not in the room."

The Doctor took a step forward, gently pulling his wife away from the new woman. It was hard for him to not react to the fact that someone had touched her without permission, but he also knew that the woman hadn't meant anything by it. He couldn't react angrily anymore. Danni didn't need that.

"They are the original rulers of this planet. They were here long before man evolved. Survivors of the race have slept under the ground for millions of years. It seems Mr Pelham has woken them up."

"Underground lizard men from the dawn of time." Lizzie nodded. "Right."

Danni sighed. "They're Silurians," she corrected again. She looked up at the Doctor and he could see the frustration on her face. "Is-Is no one listening to me?"

"Would you close the door, Doctor?" one of the Silurians asked calmly. "We do tend to find the base outside this room rather too cool for comfort."

"Of course." The Doctor did what he asked quickly before realising that they'd addressed him by name. "How do you know who I am?"

The Silurian scientist held up a phone. "The internet is a wonderful source of information, Doctor. It was the work of moments for us to break into the secure files at UNIT. You and your mate have been busy in the affairs of this planet."

"You really work for UNIT?" Lizzie asked.

"That's what you've had trouble believing?" Jack asked and she shrugged.

"I've been posing as your assistant. How can I be sure anything is not a lie?"

It was a good point, but not one Danni particularly cared about. One of the Silurian's stood up. "I am Oclar," he said. "My colleagues are Vondar, Kastac and Eliya."

"I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say that this Fire Ice stuff is your discovery and not Pelham's?" Danni asked and Oclar nodded.

"I knew it," Jack said as if his snooping had all been validated. "There was no way he could have found, drilled and refined it in the time he did."

"Believe me, we do not help him out of choice," Oclar told them all.

"I think that was pretty obvious by the way Pelham stormed out of here," Danni replied. She walked over, sitting down at the table. Both Jack and the Doctor quickly moved to sit by her, but much to Jack's annoyance the Doctor pulled out the free chair next to her first.

Danni ignored the glare shared between the two men. Who didn't enjoy people fighting for their attention? Plus, she rather liked the barrier of the Doctor between her and the rest of the group.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" she asked Oclar. The Silurian nodded and sat down opposite the pair.

"We were part of a small scientific task force. When our people were preparing to hibernate – before the arrival of the body that you call the Moon – we were given the task of stockpiling a new fuel source for our eventual revival."

"The Fire Ice," the Doctor guessed.

"That is what Pelham calls it, yes," Oclar confirmed. "It was a way of preserving fuel for the future. It provides instant clean energy. Pelham found us about a year ago. He was working on a survey of the ice sheet and his instruments picked up our distress beacon."

"Distress?" Danni asked, concerned.

"Our base is on the bottom of the underground sea below. When we retreated to our shelter, this land was warm and green," he explained. "To wake and find a world of ice and wind…"

"I can see how that's a problem," Danni replied. "Not great for cold-blooded race. So you sent the distress call to try and find more Silurians?"

"We could not find a trace of any others of our race. Then, one day, we had an answer to our distress call."

"Pelham."

"Yes. We welcomed any contact with the outside world. He promised that he could act on our behalf, that he could introduce us to the human leaders. But he had one condition…"

"That you offer up your clean, instant fuel source," Danni finished for him.

"And you believed him?" Lizzie asked in disbelief. "Someone should have warned you!"

Danni looked over her shoulder at the woman. While she understood – and rather agreed with – her disbelief, it also was rather a stupid thing to say. "They were in hibernation. Who do you think would have warned them?" she pointed out before turning back to Oclar. "So that was your peace offering? You give the humans the fuel and they help you escape to a climate much more suited to your needs?"

"It seemed like the perfect solution. Humans are far better at operating at low temperatures than we are."

"So what happened?" the Doctor asked.

"He built a lift shaft to our base – pretending to the world that he was constructing his drilling rig. He and his guards took over our facility one evening. We had not been expecting such treason, and there were too few of us to put up any kind of struggle. He put guards on the hibernation in it with orders to destroy the controls if we resisted. Those of us who were already revived were threatened with being left out on the ice sheet…" Oclar looked away. "After the first death there was no desire to resist."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said sincerely. "Was it someone close?"

Oclar nodded. "My daughter."

"He killed your daughter?" Jack asked, feeling a sudden wave of empathy with the Silurian. He couldn't help the glance down at the new Danni sat next to her husband and had to wonder if Missy had done the same. After all, she'd had a different body when she'd been taken.

"She had not wanted to be held captive by a man such as Pelham. She said she would rather die first. Unfortunately, Pelham agreed to her wishes," Oclar explained.

Again, both the Doctor and Jack looked at Danni, who had her elbows resting on the table in front of her. Her hands were linked, her chin resting on the small platform it created as she listened to Oclar.

"I can appreciate that," she replied, because she had reached that point herself. Her escape had been a 'do or die' type of affair. She'd run with the aim to get back to the Doctor, but accepting the risk that Missy wasn't going to just let her go lightly. She'd come to terms that she might have been killed if Missy had found her. In fact, she'd just not cared. She had just wanted to be free.

"Is there are a chance that any of your people have managed to avoid capture?" Jack asked them. "A resistance, maybe?"

"No." Oclar looked at Jack, puzzled. "Why do you ask such a thing?"

"Because Lizzie was attacked in the hallway by something small," Jack explained. "And someone is trying to sabotage Pelham's work."

"Someone who has control of something reptilian and prehistoric," Danni added.

"I know from experience that your hibernation chambers tend to have a lot of big, toothy beasts in deep freeze," the Doctor said, standing up and beginning to pace. Danni still loved to watch him muse. His smartness was so incredibly attractive. "And I also know that your people have the means of controlling them, directing them. Someone must have found a way to do just that."

The Silurian scientists glanced nervously at each other, as if the Doctor had hit the nail right on the head. They were hiding something. Something they didn't want the Doctor to…

"Oh," Danni said softly, pulling her husband's attention back to her. "You're not just scientists, are you? You're military as well."

"We are no such…"

"Look," she interrupted. "You can either tell us everything, or you can keep quiet and we can leave. We don't need to waste time and we have a ship parked out there—" she motioned over her shoulder, "- that can take us away and to our next adventure. We want to help, but you can't hide things from us."

Oclar shared a look with his fellow Silurians. "We're not part of the military," he replied. "But the complex beneath us was not just a scientific research facility, it was also used by our military. A squad of shock troops was frozen, along with several genetically altered specimens."

"Myrkas," the Doctor said, shaking his head in annoyance.

"You know about the Myrkas?" Oclar asked in surprise.

"Oh yes," the Doctor drawled. "We're old friends."

Danni looked up at her husband, who had stopped his pacing. He looked rather grim at the news, which was never good. "Myrkas?" she asked.

"A prehistoric creature," he explained. "But one that has been altered to turn it into a creature of war. Able to carry out basic tasks, but basically just a savage killer."

"Of course," Danni drawled.

"That sounds like an unexpected but most welcome bonus!" The rich tones of Rick Pelham boomed from the corridor. The group spun around to find him standing in the doorway, grinning like the cat who'd got the cream. Behind him were half a dozen armed guards, their guns at the ready.

"Even better," Danni muttered in reply, standing up out of her seat. Her hand went into her pocket but she didn't grab her gun just yet. She knew that now was not the time to show that she was armed. Instead she just used it like she normally did; for comfort and calm.

Pelham walked into the room. "I must really improve on my security," he continued. "People keep spouting up from all over the spot. We've not only got a UNIT officer, but her grandfather as well."

"Husband," both Danni and the Doctor quickly corrected.

Pelham didn't care. "It would seem that his mysterious 'dinosaur' exists after all." He waggled a finger at the Silurians like they were naughty children. The Doctor grabbed Danni's arm before she could step forward and berate him for being rude. "You've been keeping secrets from me, Oclar. Naughty boy. I thought that I was just going to be able to make money out of the fuel crisis, but it seems that these… Myrkas could have some possibilities in the arms trade, too."

"Oh, don't be an idiot all of your life," Danni exclaimed. "If I didn't know where they were you don't have a hope in hell of being able to control them. They're killing machines!"

"They sound perfect." Pelham laughed unpleasantly.

"No." Lizzie spoke up, startling everyone into looking at her. "It's gone far enough."

She raised her hand, revealing a small black device that she held onto tightly. Her finger was poised over a red button on its side.

"Lizzie," Jack started lowly. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Jack." Her voice was trembling. "I know I lied, but this man, this… monster has to be stopped. There's a bomb in the power room. This is the trigger. I'm going to blow this facility to pieces!"

"Oh, well done Fielding," Pelham snarled at the Time Lord. "Just a photographer! Just a journalist after a story! I thought that working for UNIT meant that you had to be clever! I _knew_ she was from Wholeweal!"

"What? Can't a girl lie anymore?" Danni retorted. "Do you not think shouting is a bad idea when there's a bomb involved?"

"I can do what I like, this is _my_ base after all. I don't need to do anything, especially when some UNIT lackey is telling me to."

Danni glared at him. "Honestly, how _did_ you manage to be in any sort of power?"

"How dare you, you stupid, little…" Pelham started.

"How about we stop arguing and deal with the woman _with_ the bomb?" the Doctor interrupted. As much as he really wasn't happy with the way the man was talking to his wife, he also knew when to get angry and when to try and defuse a situation.

And _then_ get angry.

However, he didn't have much of a chance to. Jack took a step towards her, his eyes trained on the trigger device Lizzie held tightly in her hand.

"Lizzie," he started calmly. "I know how frustrated you are feeling. Men like Pelham don't seem to care about the impact on the world around them. But this isn't the solution to that problem."

"Yes, it is," she replied shakily. "If Pelham gets his way then the Antarctic will be covered in his factories. Another wilderness lost. Another bit of the planet torn apart just to make him rich."

"But a bomb isn't the way to stop that," Jack said. "You're going to damage the environment as well."

"This base has a new power-cell system. It's not nuclear, there won't be any fallout, but the bomb will start a chain reaction. There'll be nothing left."

"Yes, you're right," Jack agreed, startling her slightly. "His Fire Ice will be gone, his machinery and any chance of anyone taking his place. But you know what else will be gone? The people. Us, you, all of the workers. There's a man in the sick bay who saw a dinosaur and is going to be blown up for no reason than needing a job." He motioned to the scientists. "There's the Silurians, who you'd never heard of until just a moment ago. They're the things that you'll be destroying, not just Pelham."

He took a step towards her when he saw his words were getting through to her. He knew they would. Lizzie was not comfortable holding that trigger. She didn't want to blow anything up. This wasn't her idea nor her want at all. "Lizzie," he said again, repeating her name for the familiarity of it. "I know that people like Pelham are actively trying to destroy the world, and to sit back and watch is the hardest thing to do. But this won't solve the problem. This just makes you part of it. There are better ways to save the world, trust me."

Jack held his hand out to her for the trigger. "You're better than this, Lizzie," he promised. "You're better than them."

There was total silence in the meeting room, every eye on the Doctor and Lizzie. Slowly she bowed her head, and placed the trigger device in his hand.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, ashamed and a little exhausted.

"I know," Jack replied kindly as he turned off the device. He then turned and chucked it towards the Doctor, who put it in his pocket for safe keeping. Jack didn't trust anyone else but his daughter and her husband with it.

Danni grinned as the tension from the threat of imminent death left the room. She looked up at the Doctor. "He's my dad," she said happily.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh no, don't start singing his praises."

She nudged him. "I thought you wanted me to get along with my parents more. You used to try and force that on me all the time."

"Yeah, Doc," Jack retorted, walking over and chucking his arm around Danni's shoulders. "We can finally be one big, happy family."

Their banter, though, broke the spell that had settled over the group. Pelham's guards rushed over, grabbing Lizzie roughly by the arms and restraining her.

"Ow!" she cried, struggling in vain. The guards clearly weren't going to take any more chances.

"I'm impressed, Captain," Pelham replied, eyeing Jack with a new respect. "There's clearly more to you than meets the eye."

"There's no need to treat her like!" Danni scolded. "She's not a danger anymore!"

"I intend to make sure of that," Pelham said. "Take her away and lock her up, and this time do it properly!" The guards did as he said, bundling Lizzie roughly out of the room.

"Now, _Doctor_ ," Pelham continued, saying the Doctor's name like it was some great secret that he was revealing. "Give me that trigger device. Then perhaps you can explain to me exactly what these Myrkas are like."

As the words left Pelham's lips, there was a shattering roar. One wall of the meeting room was ripped to shreds by powerful claws. A huge shape smashed in through the hole, its tough, leathery hide glistening with snowflakes.

"I'm going to guess they're something like that," Danni stated as she stared in surprise at the huge beast. It was at least twice as tall as anyone in the room, and incredibly bulky. It stood on four legs and had incredibly sharp claws. Its tail swung wildly and the fin on top of its head stood rigid as it roared again.

The room scattered as the Myrka tore its way through the base. The guards opened fire but the bullets just bounced off its thick hide. The Doctor grabbed Danni by the hand, pulling her for cover. She, in turn, reached for Jack and the trio ran towards the wall.

Oclar just stared in disbelief but the Doctor also grabbed him to pull him out of the way. "Don't touch the skin!" the Doctor called to the guards. "It carries a lethal electrical charge."

The warning came too late for one of the guards. Having run out of bullets, he tried to use his rifle as a club. As the weapon connected with the Myrka's scaly skin, there was a flare of light and a scream of pain. The man then dropped to the floor, dead.

Danni turned to Oclar. "You sure know how to make your war machines!" she exclaimed angrily. "The most damage with as much pain as possible!"

As the Myrka forced its way further into the base a small, fur-covered figure suddenly appeared through the ragged hole torn in the wall.

"Father!"

Oclar stared in amazement. "Partock?"

The figure pulled back a heavy fur hood to reveal the delicately scaled face of a young Silurian girl. Oclar embraced her warmly. "I thought you were dead!"

"I'm going to guess that's who attacked Lizzie," Jack murmured to Danni, who nodded in agreement.

"She seems a bit young to be in charge of a war monster," she replied lowly.

"Looks can be deceiving," the Doctor pointed out. "Look at you."

Danni frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, you're not as short as you once were, but you're not exactly intimidating to look at," the Doctor pointed out. She opened her mouth, about to defend herself, but he continued. "But after spending even a moment with you, no one is going to think you're anything but a force to be reckoned with."

Her offence deflated and a small smile appeared on her face. Jack was slightly taken aback by it. Not because the Doctor had made her smile - because that happened all the time, they were infamous saps - but because she was actually smiling. He filed that away to ask about later, because he'd not really noticed it until that moment. What was worse was the fact that the lack of smile seemed to sit well on her face; what happened when she regenerated?

"I've got no time to explain now!" Partock exclaimed, shaking herself free of her father's hug. "We must go whilst we have the chance."

Oclar stared fearfully at the driving snowstorm outside. Already the temperature in the based had dropped dramatically, something Danni had noticed. She pulled her coat around her closer. "We won't last long out there…" Oclar pointed out.

"Oh, I'm guessing Partock has already thought of that, hmm?" the Doctor asked.

Partock shot the group a glance. "Who are they? Pelham's thugs?"

"No." Oclar shook his head. "They're friends."

For a moment, the young Silurian looked as though she was going to argue, then she gave a brisk nod. "Good. I'll need your help to get Father and the others to the lift building."

"Hang on, what about Ginormo over there?" Danni asked, motioning to the Myrka. "We can't just leave it running about, it'll kill everyone!"

"Let it finish what it's started," Partock snarled. "The humans deserve no better."

"I'm sorry?" Danni asked, voice low. She took a step towards her. "You're not going anywhere without our help, and I'm not helping you until you call that thing off!"

"They deserve…"

"No!" Danni snapped before pointing at her. "It's going to get colder and colder, and we—" she motioned between the three, "-at your only help. Call. It. Off."

They stared each other down for what felt like an age, but Danni wasn't backing down. She was more than happy to let Pelham be torn to shreds, but there were people on the base that were just getting on with their jobs. Innocent people who did not deserve punishment at Pelham's deceit.

Partock reached into her furs and pulled out a small flute-like device. She raised it to her lips and blew. An electronic warbling filled the air and the Myrka's head twitched upright. It was almost like a dog responding to its master's whistle.

"It will return to its lair," Partock grumbled grumpily.

"What a well-behaved little Myrka it is," the Doctor praised, almost sounding as if he meant it. "Now we've stopped acting like children perhaps we should get a move on."

Partock pulled her furs tightly around her head and grasped her father's arm. The scientists were already shivering violently. She started to guide everyone out through the ragged hole in the base wall.

Danni turned to look at the two men. "What about Lizzie?" she asked. "I mean, she was going to blow us up, but I'd rather not leave her with Pelham."

"If we want to save everyone we have to go with Oclar," Jack said. "We need their help to mount a rescue attempt, so we need to keep them on side."

Danni turned to her husband. "What do you think?"

The Doctor looked over his shoulder at the doorway. He felt very much the same about the woman who'd been unnecessarily carted off. She was just a human trying to do good in a way she'd been convinced was the only way to go. She'd not wanted to harm anyone. However, Jack was right.

He reached out, rubbing both of Danni's arms to try and keep her warm against the ever-dropping temperatures. "If we have their help we can go back for everyone, not just Lizzie," he explained.

With a nod of her head, Danni turned and followed the Silurians out of the room. Jack turned to the Doctor. "What happened when she regenerated?" he asked.

The Doctor knew exactly what he was referring to. "That's not my tale to tell," he replied, as he still really didn't know how she'd regenerated. "And now is definitely not the time to tell it."

 _~0~0~0~_

The storm was in full force as they all struggled to follow Partock out of the base and across the snow-covered terrain outside. The Silurians were particularly struggling as the cold winds battered against them. Snow swirled in the air and made it just that little bit harder to see even a couple meters in front of them.

Jack held up one scientist who could barely walk as Partock half-carried her father forward. Danni huddled up against her husband, who'd had to be forcefully talked out of giving her his jacket to keep her warm. His arm was around her shoulder pulling her close and she pressed herself as best as she could against his side. He was so glad that she was letting him close again, but both of them would have preferred for it not to be in the middle of the Antarctic.

Behind them roars echoed over the howling wind as the Myrka tore itself free from the base. The grinding of metal and plastic was joined by one last shattering roar before it vanished into the storm. Soon there was only the sound of blaring alarms and terrified voices.

As they arrived at the drill-head building, the scientists were shaking with cold and Jack didn't feel too far behind them. One of them, the eldest one that he'd helped make the journey, was almost in a coma. Even Partock in her heavy furs was starting to get slow and sluggish. She fumbled with the locked door, her fingers numb with cold.

The Doctor gave Danni a squeeze before stepping forward. "Here, let me help," he offered kindly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his sonic sunglasses, popping them on his head before setting them off. The door opened and warmth quickly wafted out. The trio helped Partock drag the Silurians inside and Danni locked the door back up behind them.

"L-Let's not do that again," she stuttered out. The Doctor took a step towards her, but Jack slipped off his own jacket and draped it over the top of her rather similar one.

"I think we can all agree with that," he replied, giving her arms a quick rub. "You alright, Danni-Girl?"

She nodded, looking over his shoulder. "I will be when…" she started slowly before trailing off. She rushed over to the wall after spotting the heating control. She gave the room a quick boost of heat and the sound of the heater powering up was music to everybody's ears.

The Silurians immediately seemed to feel the benefit, with Oclar giving a hiss of pleasure as his body temperature started to rise once more. "Thank you, Danielle. We would not have survived much longer."

"Well, the Antarctic isn't exactly the best place for a cold-blooded race," she replied. "I'm sure we can all appreciate a good blast of warmth."

"You've been lucky to survive," the Doctor added to Partock.

"Lucky?" she scoffed." There has been nothing lucky about it."

"How _did_ you survive?" Jack asked her. "Pelham left you out on the ice, you shouldn't have survived at all."

Partock was silent for a long moment as she decided whether or not to tell her story. "I lay in the snow, watching as Pelham took my father and the others back to the base. He assumed that the cold would kill me, and it nearly did. I almost died right there, but then I looked at what you apes have done to my world. A world made cold and damp and dark. In the end it was hatred that kept me alive. Hatred of humanity."

Danni really wanted to speak up and scoff at her declaration. Humanity would and had done some damage to the planet, but did she really think that they'd created the cold at the poles? However, the story was important so she kept quiet.

"I forced myself to stand, to follow the tracks left by Pelham's machines. At last I stumbled across a series of primitive wooden structures, nothing more than shacks."

"An abandoned whaling station," the Doctor commented. Partock ignored him. "Inside were clothes, stinking rotten furs that kept out the cold. I found crude bladed weapons and hunted the mammals that swam beneath the ice. I forced myself to eat their flesh. I regained my strength. Wrapping myself in the furs I made it back to the base. I needed somewhere warm to hide where I could plan my revenge."

"The power room," Jack guessed and she nodded.

"Pelham's guards are even more stupid than the rest of the apes. Hiding from them was easy. I learned how to tamper with the controls. I could plunge the base into darkness whenever I wished. The humans do not deal well with the dark. Perhaps a part of them remembers how we used to hunt them in the forests of the old world."

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if helping you was the best idea," Jack commented.

The Doctor opened his mouth to tell him to be quiet. "I agree," Danni interrupted him. "How about we keep the ape insults to a minimum, yeah? We get it, you hate humans. It's getting old and we're running out of time for grudges."

Oclar patted his daughter on the shoulder as she seemed to get agitated at being told off. She backed down but obviously didn't seem pleased about it. "It was easy for me to use the shadows to find what I needed, to make my way back down to our base beneath the ice."

Oclar shook his head. "But how did you find out about the Myrka herds, the military? Those files were secret, known only to me and a handful of others."

"You are too trusting, Father. It was easy to break into your secret files and learn the true nature of our facility. I revived the Myrkas to attack the humans."

"You have gone too far, daughter!" Oclar voice was shaking with anger. "You will only make the situation with the humans worse."

In an attempt to peace keep, Danni took a step forward with her hands up. "Look, we've all done some things we regret while trying to survive," she started. "We've all made decisions that we wish we hadn't, ones that will haunt us long after the fact. You've got your father free, you can all head back underground until the Earth is ready for you, we don't need any more Myrkas on the rampage, do we?"

"The Myrkas will provide the means to bring the humans to their knees! We can wipe out the rest of these primitives with ease!"

"No!" Oclar cried. "I will not allow it!"

The Doctor could see an argument brewing. He needed to take hold of the situation. Partock was not going to allow any of them to take charge of the situation, but she also had not control either. He needed to get them all down underground, where he could clean up what was happening and pull some sort of resolution from this mess.

"I think we should get down there as fast as possible," he said, ushering them over to the lift. "We don't want a herd of confused Myrkas destroying the place. If they've been unfrozen, it should be easy enough to refreeze them."

The lift door opened with a slight scrape of metal on metal. The Doctor jumped back in surprise and both Jack and Danni reached for their guns. Jack, however, still didn't have his and so Danni pointed hers at the strange figure. The moment they came into view, however, she had to wonder if her gun would be any use at all.

The creature was tall. Hugely tall, actually. It towered over the group with room to spare. It wore combat gear and a fierce looking helmet where its black eyes glinted wickedly from. Its fins poked out from underneath the helmet, and it held a disk-like gun aloft ready to attack.

"Die humans," the creature hissed, its voice filled with hatred.

"No!" Partock knocked the weapon aside. "The humans are helping us."

Danni leant in close to the Doctor. Jack did the same from the opposite side. "That's not a Silurian," she muttered under her breath.

"It's a Sea Devil," he replied. "Closely related to the Silurians, but a different species."

"He looks like a cross between the Creature from the Black Lagoon and a Stormtrooper," Jack commented.

"You look like the cross between a World War 2 officer and a male escort, you don't hear us pointing it out," Danni retorted. "Stop being rude."

Jack tried not to laugh, and the Doctor tried not to seem smug at the fact that Danielle was telling him off. "The body armour suggests a commando squad. Probably highly trained."

"That doesn't sound too promising," Jack replied.

"Is everything ready?" Partock asked the Sea Devil.

"We await your command."

"What is the meaning of this?" Oclar pushed forward, struggling to speak through chattering teeth. "You had no right to revive the military…"

"I had no choice!" Partock snapped. "Pelham and the rest of the apes cannot be trusted. They need force to control them. General Veldac's troops were provide that force."

"That's all well and good," Danni called over. "But you mentioned guards being in the hibernation chambers. That's probably going to be an issue."

"And you thought I hadn't already dealt with them?" Partock shot her a despairing look before turning back to the general. "Start your attack."


	19. The Unfortunate Solution

There were too many bodies in the lift. As they headed down towards the hibernation control chamber, Danni could barely breathe with how closed in they were. Partock's army of rather large Sea Devils didn't make for room, and the Doctor had insisted that they headed down with them.

He had been rather apologetic about it, but Danni still didn't see the point. She knew exactly what was going to happen when the door pinged open and there was nothing they could do to stop it. The Sea Devils were heavily armed and probably trained more than the soldiers down there could even hope to be. They could have waited for the lift to come back up. Instead she was being crushed against Jack as the Doctor held her hand, trying to offer a bit of comfort.

The moment the doors opened the Sea Devils were out. The guard who had come to see who his guests were hadn't stood a chance and was gunned down where he stood. The rest of the guards were targeted with ruthless aim. The fight was over in moments and their bodies were left where they fell.

Danni followed her husband out of the lift, looking around sadly. They hadn't stood a chance, she'd known that. There had been no reasoning with Partock or the Sea Devils. The guards were the enemy and they were completely underprepared. Still, she hadn't wanted to see it. And she really didn't like the fact that they were left on the ground like trash.

She walked over to one of the bodies, crouching down. The blood that had already began to pool wasn't pleasant, neither was the surprised look on their face. She reached out and closed their eyes. She knew that there was no way she was going to be able to move them all. Would they even make it back home?

The Doctor crouched down next to her. Much like himself, Danni had never particularly liked being around dead bodies. He dipped his head forward, catching her eye and giving her a gentle smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Fine," she replied. "Just a horrid way to go."

He completely agreed. She didn't seem like she was as affected as she had once been. When she was younger she would physically change at the sight of a dead body. As she grew and regenerated she'd become sad and respectful. Now she didn't seem too overly phased by the sight.

He knew better, though, and reached out. He pulled her close and pressed his forehead against hers, giving her a little bit of comfort. She didn't pull away, proving him right.

Oclar laid a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'm sorry. These deaths were not my intention."

Jack tore his eyes from the couple and gave Oclar a reassuring smile. "I know," he replied sadly. "Daughters eh?"

"You have children?" Oclar asked. Jack glanced over at Danni, but his mind extended past her. To his daughter, and his grandson, and to the vow he'd made to be so much more careful after September 2009. Children were amazing, but the pain they left behind was too much for an undying man to live through.

"Just the one," he replied. "Perhaps we could keep the deaths down to a minimum now that you have the base?"

Oclar nodded in agreement. He hadn't wanted to hurt the humans, he'd wanted to work with them. Even now he had hope that Pelham was the exception and not the rule.

"What's the plan now then, chief?" Jack asked him. "Talk to Pelham?"

Oclar shook his head. "We will speak to the leaders," he explained. "Only this time, we will do it on our terms, not Pelham's."

The Sea Devil commander, Veldac, hissed in displeasure. It pulled Danni and the Doctor out of their moment and Danni was on her feet before the Doctor could help her up. "What's wrong, big guy?" Danni asked him as she walked over to the small group. "Not enough bloodshed already?"

"The apes have already proved that they cannot be trusted," Veldac told Oclar, ignoring Danni, who was not best pleased at that. Jack watched the anger flare in her eyes as she opened her mouth to berate the large creature and he realised that, no matter how many times she regenerated, some things never did change. Her lack of patience for rudeness was definitely one of them.

The Doctor seemed to notice that as well, rushing to her side and placing a hand on her arm. They had a silent conversation, the Doctor giving her a warning look as she tried to show him just how much she didn't tolerate being spoken over. Still, she seemed to back down and Jack felt his heart slow slightly as relief flooded him. He really didn't want to have to watch her try and battle a Sea Devil.

"My original plan is sound," Oclar replied calmly. "If we come to them offering the fuel as a gift then they must see that out intentions are peaceful."

"It is still a good plan," Partock stated, surprising everyone. She moved to stand alongside her father. "We shouldn't give up on peaceful solutions, Veldac, just because of one greedy human."

"Really?" Danni asked incredulously. "Didn't you just set a Myrka on the humans with the sole purpose of ripping them to shreds?"

"I had to get my father free," Partock replied stubbornly. "I couldn't have done it without the Myrka, or Veldac and his troops."

"And I am grateful," Oclar said, trying to stop another argument. "In the meantime, I need to check that Pelham's haste to extract the Fire Ice has not caused damage to the machinery."

"That sounds right up our street," Jack declared cheerfully, reaching over and grabbing Danni's hand. She started in surprise but he ignored it. "Just like old times, eh Danni-Girl?"

"Umm…" she started, confused as to why he was willing to leave the Sea Devil and Partock alone for even a moment.

"Nothing better than screwing over arsehole business owners," he continued. "Coming, Doc?"

The pointed look Jack was sending his way told the Doctor two things. The first was that he was worried about Danni's rather aggressive behaviour and was expecting answers. The second was that he knew that the Doctor felt the same way.

There was a third reason that the Doctor followed them over to the main control bank was that, no matter how rational his thinking could be, he was _not_ happy that Jack was holding her hand. Never mind that Danni really wasn't comfortable with people touching her without warning, that was _his_ hand.

"Why are we leaving them alone?" Danni asked Jack in a hiss of a voice.

"Because they won't go along with their plan while we're around, and you're going to get yourself killed," he retorted quietly and quickly as Oclar joined them.

"Oclar," one of the scientists at the controls greeted. "It is good to see you well."

"Thank you, Demiel," Oclar replied and the two shared a happy look. Even with the death around them, they could all appreciate being freed from Pelham's minions. "How is the extraction?"

Demiel eyed the three who had followed Oclar over warily, which was understandable considering the circumstances. "This is the Doctor and Danni, and their friend Jack," Oclar introduced. "They were as trapped by Pelham as we are. They will do us no harm."

While Demiel didn't seem reassured, he also seemed to take Oclar at his word. "We've been extracting at full power for far too long," he explained. "But she does seem to be holding steady. Ramka has been performing the diagnostics as often as she had been able."

"Ramka?" the Doctor asked and Oclar waved another scientist over.

The older Silurian walked over with an air of grandeur that immediately reminded them all of Vastra. "Oclar," she greeted with a no-nonsense voice that fitted their impression perfectly. She handed him a long sheet of paper. "We seem to be running at only 96% efficiency, but the machinery as a whole is working well."

Oclar skimmed the results before nodding. "That is good. Have we had any other problems?"

"Nothing we haven't been able to deal with. Our resources have been restricted but that has been easy to work around," she explained.

The Doctor held out his hand. "May I have a look?" he asked Oclar, who handed the paper over without hesitation. His eyes skimmed over the readouts quickly, looking for anything that stood out to him.

Danni, on the other hand, was looking over the main control bank with an almost hungry gaze. "What about the hibernation chambers?" she asked. "Are you having to divert power from them to power the extraction hardware?"

"Only a small amount," Ramka replied. "We have enough in place to not need to power down any more of the hibernation for now, however if we work at this strength for much longer we will have to divert more power."

"Is there anyone left in the chambers?" Danni asked. "You could raise the temperature they're being stored at, that would probably save some power." She grabbed the paper from the Doctor's hands. "You're holding them at optimum temperatures, correct? What about raising it up to the minimum? It doesn't leave much of a margin for error, but if you're wanting to keep the extraction speed up, you could definitely survive it."

Ramka turned to Oclar, who gave her a nod. "Start raising the temperature," he instructed. "Don't go to the minimum yet, but start the process."

With a soft bow of her head, Ramka headed off to do her job. Jack watched her walk away before turning to Danni, grinning. "Look at you! Since when did you talk shop?"

She shrugged. "Again, I had a lot of time on my hands," she said as if it was a question she'd been asked often. "I had a lot of books to read. Can't stay stupid forever, can I?"

Jack frowned. He'd never called her that, no one he knew would. She'd just never been very technical but she was far from stupid. "Danni, did Miss—"

"Shall we take a look at the hibernation chambers?" the Doctor interrupted loudly. "We should check them anyway, just to ensure they're fully functional."

Oclar agreed, leading the way. Danni was hot on his heels and her eagerness at seeing the machinery was almost tangible. The Doctor shot Jack a glare.

"Tact was never your strong suit, was it Captain?" he muttered.

"How long was she with Missy, exactly?" Jack asked in reply.

"I don't know," the Doctor replied. "She won't say. I'm not sure she even knows." His gaze hardened. "But bringing it up in the middle of a crisis is not exactly the best idea, is it? I won't have you upsetting her."

With that, he stormed over to her side, nodding as she pointed out one of the mechanisms that was keeping the hibernation chambers running. Jack shook his head before following. He was going to get to the bottom of what happened, but unfortunately the Doctor was right. There was a war about to break out and he really needed to focus.

Then he'd work out just how exactly to confront the Doctor about his attitude. He had always thought he had first call on her time and her wellbeing. Not a chance.

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor, Danni, Jack and Oclar were deep in the bowels of one of the hibernation machines when General Veldac's aide entered the control room. Danni was rather enjoying being told about the intricacies of how the machines maintained the prolonged sleep, but the trios attention was pulled away the voice of the aide.

"Well?" Partock asked.

"The humans have called in troops," the aide told his commanders. The Doctor strode out first, watching over the little gathering who were doing nothing to hide their conversation.

"We suspected this would happen," Partock explained. "Does the General understand what he has to do?"

"Yes, Partock."

"Good."

That didn't sound right at all. The Doctor walked over, a frown on his face. "I do hope you're not planning to attack," he said. "There will be no more bloodshed, not on my watch."

"Attack them, Doctor?" Partock asked, looking slightly amused. It didn't help the situation. "Far from it."

He watched her for a moment, waiting for more information, but none came through. "I thought you were going to make this harder for me," he said bluntly. "I'm glad you're not." He turned to Oclar. "We need to stop them taking their first treatment of Fire Ice away from here," he explained. "If we have any chance of sorting this mess out and making a deal then—"

"We're not going to stop them, Doctor," Partock interrupted. "We're going to let them take it away."

"Let them?" Jack asked. "Why would we do that? There's no way they're going to believe that you're going to give it up and not have any comeback."

"The General will make it look very convincing, but the humans will escape with their precious fuel."

"I don't understand, daughter…" Oclar said slowly, looking confused.

"I do," Danni declared. She knew that look on Partock's face. The look of arrogance. The look of someone who had _won_. "What have you done to the fuel?" A small smirk appeared on the young Silurian's face and Danni's hands clenched. She knew it. "You attacked Bob by the barrels. You weren't looking to take the fuel back, you were looking to do something _to_ it. What did you do?"

"Partock, is this true?" Oclar asked his daughter, who continued to look smug.

"You can't just harm innocent people!" Danni exclaimed. "The actions of one person never justify hurting the innocent! What the fuck have you done?!"

"I've added an artificial boosting agent to the barrels," Partock said smugly.

Oclar went pale. "Dear Maker…"

"What will it do?" the Doctor asked urgently. "Tell me!"

"I will change the rate at which the fuel is released from the ice. It will speed up the process a thousand times," Oclar explained, his voice shaking.

"And what will that mean?"

"Huge quantities of greenhouse gases will be released. It will speed up the warming of this planet. It will do precisely the reverse of what the humans hope this fuel will achieve!"

Jack turned to Partock, his face contorted in ager. "You'll destroy every piece of life on this planet!" he exclaimed. "Not just humans, but animals, plants, everything! Genocide on a scale this galaxy has never seen!"

"It will return this planet to a state where we can live properly," Partock roared. "When we extract the rest of the fuel and I add the boosting agent, it will return this planet to how it was in our own time! This is the gift that I give to the humans."

"That's not how things work!" Danni exclaimed. "You stupid girl!" The Doctor grabbed her arm, pulling her back before she could stride forward and grab Partock. "You can't just do a rolling reset! Time moves on, planets move on! Nothing can go back to how it was, especially with the mass changes the Earth has gone through! You've damned _everyone_!"

"We need to get in touch with Pelham," Jack stated. "Oclar, stay here and keep the calm. We're going to head to the surface and try and fix this."

The Doctor, normally, wouldn't have appreciated Jack telling him what to do. However time was short and he was sure he could get his own back later on, after the catastrophe had been avoided. The three headed towards the lift.

Partock stepped in their path. "Foolish apes!"

Before anyone could react, her tongue spat for her mouth, hitting Danni's neck first, then the Doctor's and then Jack's. The effect of the venom was instant. Jack dropped dead, and the Doctor and Danni crashed to the ground next to him.

 _~0~0~0~_

"Oh, my head."

The Doctor forced his eyes open, his head pounding like he'd had a large rock dropped straight on it. And he could vouch for that feeling. The light of the room was dull, but still incredibly too bright.

Oclar appeared in his vision looking rather concerned. "Take it easy, Doctor. You're still very weak," the Silurian said.

"Very weak?" He sat up slowly. "You can say that again. I should be dead. Weak is a plus." He looked around the room. Danni was still unconscious next to him, but he could tell almost instantly that she was alive. Jack was with the rest of the scientists working on the machinery. It was good to know that he wasn't stupid enough to go after the Sea Devils on his own. The Doctor really did have his doubts.

"She is still young, it takes time for the venom sacks to reach full strength. Across the three of you the venom would have been very diluted. You were lucky."

"Tell that to my head," the Doctor grumbled, giving his limbs a stretch before rolling sideways. He crawled the incredibly short distance over to Danni, giving her a quick look over. She had a mark on the side of her neck but otherwise she seemed fine.

"Your military friend was up almost straight away," Oclar continued. "Your mate, though, would have received the most venom so she may be unconscious a little longer."

The Doctor nodded, having already figured that out. He placed the back of his hand against her forehead, running it down her cheek. She didn't have a fever or anything. "How long have I been out?"

"An hour, maybe more."

He nodded again. That sounded about right. As he stood up Jack noticed the movement, walking over with a last word to the scientists at the helm.

"I was wondering when you would get up," he said almost teasingly. "I thought you Time Lords were supposed to be early risers."

"Danielle very rarely gets up early," the Doctor replied. "Have the Sea Devils headed upwards?"

Jack nodded. "I did think of stopping them but, well, I don't exactly like to die _that_ often."

The Doctor could agree with that, and he'd only had a fraction of the deaths he knew Jack would suffer through. "We have to contact Pelham."

"I've been trying just that, but the systems are pretty airtight," Jack explained. "I'll need a little longer but I should be able to hack…"

"No."

They both turned at the grumbled word and saw Danni coming back to consciousness. She looked incredibly groggy but she was very quickly coming back alert. "No," she repeated. "No, no, no."

Her hands went out to her sides as she tried to push herself up off the floor. She'd not gone to sleep, she would have remembered going to sleep. All she remembered was having an argument with a young Silurian and then… and then what?

Nothing could make her panic more than not knowing how she'd fallen asleep. It was a dirty trick that was always used to disorientate her and the worst part was that it _always_ worked. Her brain always felt sluggish, her wits not quite as about her as she would have liked. She could see the Doctor and Jack looking at her in concern but that didn't reassure her. If anything it put her on edge.

The Doctor quickly stepped forward to help her stand steady but she pushed him out of the way. "No," she said forcefully before her hand went straight to her pocket. She could feel the gun and she needed to use it. Had she really been wrong? Had she always been sleeping?

"No, Danni, it's okay," the Doctor was quick to reassure her. He could see where her mind was heading, he could feel the panic coming from her and he knew the source. "Partock tried to poison us. You've been unconscious but you are fine."

Jack was stunned as she pulled the gun out, her hand clenched around the barrel. She wasn't going to shoot any of them, but she was going to use it to attack the Doctor with, like a blunt weapon. "Get away from me."

Her words hurt, but that was because he knew they came from a place of fear and not actually wanting him to get away from her. At least this time he knew how to reassure her. He reached out as she raised her gun to hit him, giving her the same blast of himself as he had done in the bedroom.

Her arm immediately fell to her side and she met his gaze, almost fearful of believing him. But his eyes were always kind and she knew that Missy couldn't replicate that. So she looked around, seeing the calm Silurians working away and Jack watching them both closely. Partock was heading towards them.

"Where are our Sea Devil friends?" she asked, trying to sound less like she was coming down from being absolutely terrified.

"General Veldac is leading his troops," Partock explained. "You humans must be stronger than you look," she continued. "I thought that I had killed you all."

"Well, me and my wife aren't human," the Doctor piped up with a rather large hint of exasperation in his tone.

"You don't look any stronger than any of us," Danni added with a snap. "And we never tried to kill you, so I can definitely say that we're ahead of you on all fronts."

Partock bristled. "Careful. I have told the General to leave most of the apes alive on the surface. It will make their escape look more convincing. But I can always change those orders."

"Yes, you probably can," the Doctor replied tiredly. "You don't need to do this, Partock. I can fix this mistake, you know."

The young Silurian ignored him and unclipped a communicator from her belt. "General, are you ready to start your attack?"

" _Yes, Partock."_ As Partock turned away, the Doctor's eye dropped to the whistle-like device on her belt.

"The Myrka control," he muttered to himself.

"What are you planning?" Danni muttered in reply as he pulled her a little closer.

"Something inconspicuous," he replied. "Or, rather, you are." He reached into his pocket and pulled out her sonic screwdriver. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Where did you get that?" she asked. "I left it…"

"I've told you about putting it down, haven't I?" he replied. "See on her belt?" Danni looked over and saw the control on Partock's belt.

Danni nodded and shared a cheeky smile with him. He slipped her the sonic as Jack's mind quickly worked out what they could be doing. "I like how you think, Doc," he said quietly.

"What are you up to, Doctor?" Oclar whispered. "If my daughter suspects anything…"

The Doctor grinned. "I know how to stop her. You'd better cover your ears, Oclar, it's going to get noisy around her."

"Why couldn't you use your glasses? I thought they were just as good as the screwdriver," Danni asked him.

"They are," he defended lightly. "Trust me?"

She nodded. "Of course."

"This could be painful," the Doctor told them. "And it might take her a moment to get the frequency right. Get ready."

In response, Oclar and Jack covered their ears. The Doctor gave Danni a nod and she raised the screwdriver, pointing it at the signalling device on Partock's belt. She quickly set it off. The noise that filled the undersea base was deafening. The Silurians reeled in pain, clutching at their heads.

Partock turned, hatred in her eyes. "You again!" she screamed. "This time I will kill you all!" She reached for her heat gun and scrambled to turn off the screaming device at her belt.

Danni still wasn't sure why he'd asked her to do it. Probably something to do with giving her control over the situation, but she didn't question it. She just did as he asked. She quickly adjusted the screwdriver, sending the whistling from the control higher and higher until she could barely hear it. Jack was gritting his teeth and she could feel it deep in her head, but the effect on the Silurians was pretty instantaneous. The moment the frequency was hit they dropped to the floor, unconscious.

Danni quickly turned the sound off. "That was awful," she declared. "Can we never do that again?"

"I think we can all agree to that," Jack replied. "Plan?"

"You are going to wake Oclar and move the bodies into the hibernation chamber," the Doctor instructed as he walked over to Partock, picking up the signalling device. "We're going to…"

" _Captain?"_ A voice called, crackling slightly. " _Are you there?"_

Oclar groaned, coming to and Jack was quick to help him up to his feet. Danni grabbed the communicator from just next to Partock's outstretched hand.

"Hello, Lizzie?" Danni asked. "Jack's kinda busy. Are you okay?"

" _I'm fine. I'm out on the ice sheet with lots of unconscious sea-lizard thingies—"_

"Sea Devils," Danni corrected.

" _Sea Devils,"_ Lizzie repeated. " _Is that your doing?_ "

"Well, it was a team effort," Danni replied. "Are they definitely all out cold?"

" _Cold and getting colder by the minute._ "

"Any sign of Pelham?" the Doctor asked.

" _Getting ready to leave with his precious barrels._ "

Just as the Doctor had suspected. Nothing was going to stop Pelham taking his fuel that wasn't worth his attention. They had to catch his attention. He took the communicator off Danni. "Lizzie, I have a job for you," he started. "Pelham can't leave with the Fire Ice, it's been tampered with. If even a drop is used then the effects won't be reversible. You need to get the bomb back into the power room."

" _I thought you were against the bomb?_ " Lizzie reply.

"Not against, exactly, more… more… well, yes, alright, I'm always against any sort of weaponry. It only ever makes a situation worse."

" _So why do I need to get the bomb?_ "

"Because we're making the situation worse," the Doctor retorted. "Do whatever you have to but we can only save everyone with your help. Can you do that, Lizzie?"

There was silence for a moment. " _I'm on it, Doc._ "

"Don't call me that," he snapped before chucking the communicator to Jack. "She learnt that off you. All you are is a pain in my side, Harkness."

"You'd not have me any other way," Jack replied with a grin. The Doctor rolled his eyes – that was incredibly debatable – but he didn't have time to argue. He linked his finger through Danni's and began leading her into the hibernation chamber. She couldn't help but stare at the way he held her hand. She really liked it. She hadn't liked anyone holding her hand for such a long time.

"What are we doing?" she asked.

"Counter question," he replied. "We have a bunch of trigger happy humans topside and almost as many angry Sea Devils with them, all of which are unconscious but could come back to life at any minute. What do we do to keep them apart and from killing each other?"

"Distract them both," Danni replied as they approached the end of the chamber and out into a passage carved from the rock. "Give them both something to think about apart from each other."

"If we throw something at the Sea Devils they'll just tear them down without a thought," the Doctor pointed out.

"Then you need something bigger," she countered. "Something that they can't fight against. Or, rather, something they can all be evenly matched against."

The Doctor nodded. "Something that won't kill them, but will keep them too busy to kill each other, right?"

They came up to a stone wall. "Yeah, something like that," she agreed. "It'd have to be big to be able to withstand an attack from the Sea Devils." The Doctor pulled out his sunglasses, popping them on and her brows furrowed. "Something you can stop going too far," she continued, slower this time. "Something that we know works… What are you planning?"

He raised the sunglasses so she could see the glee in his eyes that went along with the grin on his face. "What do you think, Danni-Girl?" he asked before lowering them back down. A quick buzz caused green light to spread across the rock like a large crack running from top to bottom. The stone slowly split, revealing another long stone passage.

"It's the military part of the base," he told her before he hurried forward. They came up to a narrow walkway that overlooked a vast underground chamber. It was dark, but a quick press on a control on the metal rail that stopped them tumbling over the edge solved that.

"That's pretty cool," Danni said appreciatively as they looked over the controls and machinery in place that was there to keep the Silurian race continuing long after the planet tried to break them down. "Trying to survive even as everything tells them they shouldn't."

"Sounds like someone I know," he replied suggestively.

"Oh, hush you," she scolded lightly. "Now is not the time for flirting. That's later." She looked back down over the side. "It's a shame this never seems to work. Even Vastra, who found a home in London, could never fully integrate. One day they'll get their act together, won't they?"

She looked at him expectantly because he knew a lot more about the universe than she had been able to learn. He didn't have an answer, though, because no matter how much he'd seen there was infinite more than he didn't even know.

"Have you worked it out, yet?" he asked instead. She nodded.

"They're just sitting there waiting to be released," she replied. "May as well put them to good use."

He raised the signalling device, pressing the button on the top. The chamber was suddenly filled with shattering roars as the machinery began to shut down. Far below them huge creatures stirred in the slowly swirling vapour that was being released from the chambers the cavern held. Huge creatures that the Earth had not seen for millions of years.

"Your own little army, eh?" Danni teased as the Myrkas slowly woke from their forced slumber. She looked up at him with a smirk and a knowing look. "Some things never change, do they?"

She turned back to watch the Myrkas break out of their holds, so missed the horror that flashed over his face. His blood ran cold, his brain stuttered to a halt.

" _I don't want an army!" the Doctor shouted, grabbing at the bracelet around his wrist. Missy took hold of his wrist before he could take it off, though._

" _Well, that's the trouble! Yes, you do!" she shouted back._

Danni then looked back at him. "That's definitely something Missy could never get right, you know?" she told him.

"Oh?" he replied softly, almost shakily.

She nodded. "She would make you the leader of the army, but you're always anything but that," she explained. "A general who would make sure that not one of his soldiers took a single life? Who would rather not fight than fight dirty?" She actually chuckled. "She always made you out to be a man commanding from afar, but you're always right in the middle of the trouble. An unconventional general with the universe's most unconventional army." She turned around, leaning against the railings as the Myrkas broke free, waiting for orders from the owner of the signalling device. "I wish everyone could be as good as you."

"I have to be," he said, chucking the device in the air and catching it with the same hand. "I've got to live up to your expectations, my Pet."

"You can use me as an excuse all you want, but you know it's in your blood," she replied. "What's next, Mr General? How are we going to save the world?"

"By causing a distraction," he replied. "Many large, loud, impossible to ignore distractions."

 _~0~0~0~_

When the pair returned to the hibernation control room, Jack and Oclar had moved all of the Silurians there and had started placing them back into their individual cocoons. Jack looked up from the pod he was standing by and shot Danni a grin. She gave him one in return. They could have done without the destruction and the anger, but they always had fun on an adventure together. She'd have to keep him around for a bit.

Oclar gently laid his daughter into her own freezer pod, hesitating as he reached for the controls. "She isn't really evil, you know, just… misguided. Angry about the way that fate has treated our people. Eager to put things right."

"She's not alone in that," Danni said. "You'd be surprised what people will do when they think they're being threatened with being the last of their race. Some people turn to anger, others to kindness. She just needs to see there's another path. She'll get there. Everybody does."

"It's a very human trait," the Doctor said. "You'll have to be careful about that."

It was with a smile that Oclar pressed his hand down on the control panel. A glass screen slid down over Partock's cocoon, and wisps of icy gas started to flood the inside. There weren't many Silurians left and they all made quick work putting everyone back to sleep.

"You know, there's no telling when you'll wake up again," Jack pointed out as they closed the lid on the last pod. "You could be under the ice for a very long time."

"I had guessed as much." The Silurian gave a deep sigh. "The time is not yet right. Not all humans are as willing to access the gift I offered as you, Captain. We are not ready either. I hope that when I awake the world will be a different place. And if I don't awake…" He shrugged. "Then perhaps that is for the best."

"I'll tell you what," Jack started as he helped Oclar into his own cocoon. "When you do wake up I'll be the first one there."

"It's a pleasant thought, but I know the lifespan of your species. We may be asleep for some time."

Danni dipped her head into the conversation. "He's not your typical human," she told Oclar. "You'll be able to find him when you wake."

Oclar settled back into his cocoon. He seemed a little nervous and, to be honest no one could really blame him. "Thank you," he said to them all gratefully. "It is a shame that we could not come to an understanding."

"One day you will," the Doctor promised. "I'll make sure of it."

"How long will you keep trying to teach these humans that you regard so highly?" Oclar asked him.

The Doctor glanced at Danni, whose face didn't hold much emotion at all. He knew her enough to know that the idea of a forced sleep wasn't going to be something she would be remotely happy about. He knew that she, despite how she acted around him, was still wary of the universe around her. Just waking up from an unexpected nap had completely thrown her perspective. He needed to show her that the universe was safe. He needed to make sure it was safe for her.

"For as long as it takes," he promised. Oclar nodded and Jack pressed the button on the console, and the glass screen slid down. As the icy mist flooded the chamber Jack turned to his daughter and her husband.

"There were quite loud roars coming from down the hall," he stated. "Do you have a plan?"

Danni nodded. "The Myrkas are going to keep the military busy until we can sort out Pelham. Then we get as many people off the base as possible. Then we're blowing it up."

"What about the Myrkas?" he asked.

"They're going to be instructed to bring the Sea Devils back down here," Danni explained. "The Sea Devils will know they're trapped and the only tactical move is to follow the rest into hibernation."

"So it's back to the surface, find Lizzie, save everyone and get home in time for tea," the Doctor rattled off as they headed towards the lift.

"Oh, just the same old, then?" Jack asked. "Maybe next time we can get together at a pub or something instead, Danni-Girl."

"Nah, trouble follows us around no matter what," Danni replied. "May as well embrace it."

 _~0~0~0~_

Lizzie had managed to do exactly what had been asked of her. She'd stolen a gun off an unconscious sea-lizard-devil-thing and had retrieved the bomb from Pelham. She'd actually rather enjoyed having Pelham do her bidding, although if she never saw a gun again she wouldn't be terribly disappointed. The power that came from holding someone at gunpoint was rather nice, but at the same time the unsettled feeling in her stomach just said that it wasn't something she was cut out for.

She had made Pelham push the case of explosives back underneath the power cell just so he knew that this was really going to happen, then had led them back into the corridor. She raised the Sea Devil gun and aimed it at the lock. There was a buzz of power, and a ray of searing heat melted the lock into molten waste.

Lizzie nodded in satisfaction. That's just in case you had any ideas about getting back inside to disarm it," she told Pelham and his assistant. She fumbled in her pocket of her jacket for the communicator. She had the let the Doctor know that she was ready.

It was that brief lapse in Lizzie's focus that gave Pelham exactly what he needed. He lashed out, hitting the gun out of her grasp. It went flying to the floor, where Matt picked it up and pointed it back at her.

Pelham snatched the communicator from her hand. "You little idiot. Did you really think you'd get away with it?"

Seeing his boss about to rant and rave, Matt spoke up. "Mr Pelham, we should get away from here, sir. The bomb…"

"That captain and his friends won't set off the bomb until they know their little friend here is safe. So now I've got something to bargain with." He grabbed Lizzie by the arm. "You're coming with us. We'll fly back to the container ship and contact Harkness from there."

Lizzie protested the entire way, but she also knew that she wasn't really in a position to be making demands anymore. Without any way of countering the weapon it was best to let them continue to boast as they made their way to the waiting helicopter.

"I really have to thank you, my dear," Pelham taunted. "If what you say about the fuel is true, if it really is contaminated, then I might have come away from this with nothing. But that weapon could be a much more valuable source of income. PelCorp Thermal Weapons. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Lizzie thought a lot of things about that idea, but didn't have time to voice a single one of them. A load, terrifying roar drowned out any chance of speaking. Out from the snowy landscape bounded a Myrka, lumbering towards them with its teeth bared in a savage snarl.

They turned to run, but another creature emerged from around the corner of the base, also ready to attack.

Pelham pushed his assistant forward. "Use the gun, man, use the gun!"

Matt, for all of his attitude, did not look remotely capable of actually using any gun. He raised it in the air but his hands trembled. Lizzie had to wonder if he would even be able to hit the gigantic target.

"No, no, don't!" a voice cried out from in the storm. "You won't do anything!"

Jack, Danni and the Doctor came barrelling towards them from the snow. "You won't do anything but make it angry," Danni continued. "Don't hurt…"

Matt ignored her. In fact, her instructions just seemed to give him a reason to shoot at the creature. The beam of heat seared into the Myrka's side, filling the air with the smell of charred flesh. It let out a roar of pain, rearing up. Matt seemed to think that this meant he was winning, so he continued to fire.

The Myrka turned, looking for the thing that was hurting it. With a swing of one of its huge claws, it went straight for the source of its pain. Matt froze on the spot as the claw was slammed down on him.

Danni grimaced at the sight of Matt's lifeless body. She had tried to warn him, and seeing a dead body was never pleasant, but what else could she have done? He had wanted to attack, he must have known the Myrka would have attacked back.

The smell of blood seemed to attract a lot of attention from the nearby army. Myrkas appeared, going after the injured member of their pack, ripping into it as they turned on each other.

"Doctor," Jack started, his voice low. "They're going to…"

As the Myrkas turned their attention onto the tiny people around them, the Doctor quickly pulled out his sunglasses. He pressed the button on the side, sending a loud signal out. All at once the roaring and fighting stopped, then they lumbered off towards the soldiers once again.

"What did you do?" Lizzie asked, amazed that she wasn't about to be eaten alive.

"I threw a stick for them," the Doctor replied. "Well, I created a sonic signal that the Myrkas will follow, so they'll do pretty much what I tell them…" He trailed off, looking down at Pelham and where Matt's body now was lying. "They were ordered not to kill anyone."

"Yeah, but we didn't exactly expect someone to do any actual damage to them," Danni pointed out. "It was the heat gun that did it."

"You tried to warn him," Lizzie offered quietly. Danni shrugged.

"There's only so much help you can give people," she replied. "Sometimes it just will never be enough."

In the distance, Jack could hear the sound of the soldiers starting their attacks again on the Myrka and knew their time was up. "Time to move," he declared. "The Myrka will clear the area and we can finish this here and now."

Pelham looked to Jack sadly. "Matt never questioned me. Never," he said softly, sadly. "He really did think I was right."

"He was wrong," Danni replied shortly. "Don't make that mistake again."

He nodded, actually as if he was taking her words to heart. That was a first, one that Danni wasn't sure if she believed or not. "Head to the helicopter," she continued. You and Lizzie get as far away from here as possible. We're going to finish it, just make sure everyone is safely away."

"You're not coming?" Lizzie asked, confused.

"We have our own transport," the Doctor explained vaguely. "Get clear."

"Thank you," Pelham said quietly. "I know that…"

"Don't thank us. This is your mess," Danni snapped. "Don't do it again." She turned to Jack. "Coming?"

"Obviously," he replied, as if there was another option. Leaving the pair on the ice, they hurried back through the base to the other side where the TARDIS was parked.

"I'm surprised none of the grunts realised what this was," Jack pointed out as the Doctor opened the door.

"That's humans for you," Danni replied. "Can't see what's in front of their face. Get in."

From high above the base they watched the helicopter with Pelham and Lizzie inside fly away. The troops on the ground began to evacuate the area. One by one the helicopters flew to a safe distance until the Doctor, who had the trigger in his hand, pressed the button.

The explosion was huge. The centre of the base blew out into a vast ball of flame. Sections of roof and wall were sent spinning high into the cold, grey sky. Seconds later, small fireballs started to blow the base apart room by room as the chair reaction sped up.

Once again Danni was hit with the thought that it never sat right. Much like when she'd watched Skaro crumble with Clara, she knew it was necessary – it was always necessary – but it never seemed right. So much destruction. So much pain.

One particularly large explosion caused the ice to crack and, with not a lot of support left, the base fell under the water. The noise was almost deafening but it seemed to start to settle pretty quickly.

The Doctor watched Danni watch the scene. He saw how unsettled she was becoming, how the sight was slowly distressing her. The moment he was certain their plan had worked he shut the door.

"Come on," he said to her gently. He took hold of her hand, walking her away from the door. Just like always, he had to wonder what was just the new Danni and what was the traits Missy had instilled in her. He'd work it out.

Jack watched them. The Doctor gently coaxed her away and she was distinctly shy and nervous.

"You've got a lot to tell me," he stated, giving neither of them room for argument. She was his family, after all, and he wasn't going to left out.

Danni shot him a soft smile. "I know," she replied.

"But not now," he continued. "Food, first. It must be dinner time." He walked over to the console and to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She tensed slightly but didn't pull away.

"You're buying," she retorted cheekily.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _And that's the end of the book! I hope you enjoyed it. It wasn't much of anything, just a little romp XD_

 _As always, go read the original. It's called The Silurian Gift by Mike Tucker. It's a Doctor Who Quick Read._

 _Reviews!_

 _ **Guest** \- It is a book! It's not very long, 99 pages, so it's definitely a quick read. It's an Eleven only adventure I adapted slightly XD I'll get to Wiped Out soon, I just don't have a lot of free time anymore so I have to focus on Recovery. I'm hoping to get it updated this week, though._

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- He is! He'll get his answers. And yes! Lots of hints, obviously, because I'm just a massive troll :P_

 _ **Jojo** \- Thanks sweetie!_

 _ **BlueFlame27** \- Hehe I'm glad someone picked up on that line XD_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie!_

 _ **bored411** \- Thanks sweetie! I hope you liked this one too :)_


	20. A Much Needed Chat

_The candles really added atmosphere to the bathroom. Danni closed the door gently behind her and slowly stepped towards the large bathtub that sat in the middle of the room. It was full of bubbles, just as she liked it; enough to sink into but not enough that you couldn't breathe. The air was filled with a lovely fragrance that obviously came from the bubble bath. It felt like it should have been so incredibly relaxing._

 _She pulled her dressing gown closer as she peered over the edge. It didn't look too deep, either. In fact, she'd have to admit that it was a pretty perfect looking bath. She rolled her sleeve up and dipped her hand in, swirling the water around. It was even the perfect temperature._

" _Is everything to your liking, my Pet?" The Scottish voice startled her slightly and she spun around. "I do hope I ran it properly."_

 _Danni nodded. "Ye-Yes you did," she replied. "Thank you."_

 _Missy grinned. "Good, that's good," she said. She walked over, brushing Danni's ginger hair over one of her shoulders. "You should get in before the water gets too cold."_

 _She made no move to leave and Danni glanced at the door. It was still closed. "Right now? But…"_

 _Missy waved her concerns away before she could even get them out. "Oh, don't worry about that, dearie. We're all girls here. Nothing I've not seen before." She quickly undid the knot that kept Danni's dressing gown closed before slipping it off her shoulders. Danni was incredibly glad that she was still in her underwear. In fact, she was pretty bloody relieved about it. Missy turned away to hang it on the back of the door. "Now chop chop."_

 _Danni, who was trying not to anger Missy any more than she had no matter how tempting it was, climbed into the water without much delay. She knew the drill well; stall for as long as possible so the Doctor could find her. It would probably take him awhile but he'd get there. And, well, it had only been a few weeks. That was barely a vacation._

 _Still, she hoped he'd turn up soon._

 _The bath was actually rather nice to be in. She reclined against the back, letting the water soothe over her. He wasn't going to be happy that Missy had killed her. She wasn't particularly happy that had happened, either. Whatever had happened when the Master had regenerated into Missy had obviously screwed around with her head. But, actually, apart from that Missy hadn't been all too bad. She'd locked her in a bedroom but all that had happened was that Danni had become increasingly bored._

 _Missy sat on the edge, sleeves rolled up. "Here, let me help," she said, reaching over to grab the bath gel._

" _I can do that, thanks," Danni replied quickly, reaching out for it._

 _Missy hushed her. "Don't be silly, you'll feel much better," she promised, squirting a large dollop of it into her palm. She rubbed her hands together then placed them on Danni's shoulder, proceeding to massage the sweet-smelling gel into her skin. "See? Isn't that nice?"_

 _Danni nodded. "Yes, it is," she said, although she'd never really felt as tense as she did at the moment. It all just seemed incredibly unnecessary. There had to be more to this, right?_

 _Missy moved one her bra straps out of the way. "You know, I've been thinking, my Pet," she started in a thoughtful voice. "You've been rather shy around me."_

" _You killed me," Danni pointed out. "It doesn't endear you to someone."_

" _True," Missy agreed openly. "However, I'm not just some person, am I? I save the whole universe for you. We have history."_

" _Again, that history involves you killing me."_

 _Missy nodded. "Right on the money again, my Pet. However, the Doctor also killed you."_

" _He didn't kill me. Rassilon killed me. The guy shot me," Danni said slowly, suspiciously. "And I'm not sure what that has to do with anything."_

" _Well, I was just thinking." Danni winced as Missy pressed particularly hard with her thumb into her shoulder. "You forgave him, didn't you?"_

 _Danni's brows furrowed. "I really don't want to talk about this," she replied firmly. "Quite frankly, I think you're getting away with quite a lot. The Doctor won't be happy when…"_

" _The Doctor, the Doctor, the Doctor…" Missy mocked, stilling her hands and gripping onto Danni's shoulders tightly. "Honestly, you never shut up about him. I bet you wouldn't get into the bath in your underwear with him around…"_

" _No, but…"_

" _And you wouldn't be so defiant with him," Missy continued. "It's getting tiring, my Pet. I've tried to make you feel at home, haven't I? It's not like I've been cruel…"_

 _Danni, who hadn't been comfortable with anything that was happening, decided that enough was enough. She knew that she just had to sit back and wait for the Doctor to come for her, that it was best if she kept her head down considering that Missy had already proven herself capable of killing her._

" _Not been cruel?" she retorted anyway. "You killed me and have me locked up in a room. I don't know where I am, or where my husband is, or even when I am!"_

" _I know, my Pet," Missy replied as if she was listing off everything she already knew. The heaviness in her voice just pissed Danni off further. "And yet you're still resisting me. I guess I'm just not showing you just how much I care."_

 _Danni opened her mouth to retort. Missy's hands tightened their grip on her shoulders. And then, she pressed downwards._

 _The strength surprised Danni, who didn't know what to so as she was submerged under the water. Immediately the water filled her mouth and she tried to spit it out, only for more to pour in. The perfume of the bubbles burnt on her tongue and it was all she could taste. She tried to fight back but Missy was putting her full weight on her and she could only thrash about._

 _The panic rose, her body screamed for a breath she knew she couldn't take. She felt a weight crush down on the rest of her as Missy climbed into the bath with her. She held her down, keeping her under the water. Her hearts raced painfully, demanding oxygen, demanding that she fought back. But, with every beat, she lost more. She was going to drown. She was going to die. Missy was going to drown her…_

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni's eyes snapped open. She didn't sit up, she didn't pant or gasp for breath despite how convinced she was that, for just a second, she was submerged underwater. In fact, she couldn't move at all. She was just too scared to.

Missy even haunted her dreams. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't escape it. She dreamt about the other Time Lady all the time. She would sneak into her thoughts when Danni least expected it, and yet her appearance was never surprising.

It took a few steady breaths but Danni finally found it within her to slowly start to move. It started with her arm, but then she very quickly was standing up. The fear was slowly trickling down into the background. She was going to be alright. Missy hadn't won. She was safe.

She walked over to the wall never the less, running her hand across it to try and find a door handle. A door handle meant that she was in Paradise, and Missy had shown her that it could be anywhere. However, in Danni's past experience, it was always on a wall. She did a wide sweep, checking everywhere she could as she slowly walked around the room. She left the wardrobes and the bathroom alone, though. She knew Missy wasn't there. Theta had proven that to her, but sometimes… sometimes it just reassured her to just check.

She really didn't want to go back to sleep, either. She could do without two visits from Missy in one night, so she grabbed her robe and headed into the hallway. A nice walk to clear her head would help. After all, she had a lot to talk about in the morning.

Jack had acted just as she had expected him to. He'd told her that he expected a full breakdown, but then had demanded food and a night in. He was giving her time to prepare herself, for which she was incredibly grateful. Perhaps she could get Theta to take them out first thing in the morning and she could delay the inevitable a little bit longer.

As if Jack would allow her to run away like that.

She paused, hand pressed against the wall as the first sounds of music reached her eyes. She wasn't used to hearing music play in the TARDIS that she didn't initiate herself. The Doctor had never been into music, and Jack was probably asleep, so she was rather nervous as she followed the sound of the guitar.

It led her straight to the console room, where she saw the Doctor sat on the stairs, sunglasses on, guitar in hand. He hadn't noticed her appear, he was too busy playing the guitar. She was so surprised that all she could do was watch.

" _Earth angel, Earth angel, please be mine…"_

He was even singing softly along with the music. He had changed so much since she'd been taken. Even his clothes had taken on a much more relaxed tone. She really liked the checked trousers he'd chosen, and she was sure she'd seen a Rolling Stones t-shirt in the wardrobe that the TARDIS that definitely wasn't for her. She really only worn tank tops these days when she was going for a casual look.

But she couldn't believe that, after all these centuries, she was still learning stuff about him. She felt like she could listen to him play for hours, and she'd only heard him play for a few moments. She leant against the doorway, just watching him.

" _And I hope, and I pray, that someday, that I'll be the vision of your happiness,_ " he continued, barely audible over the notes. He looked so calm. She wondered how much she'd missed.

At the closing notes he looked up and caught her gaze. She was smiling softly, her look turning to one of amusement as they locked eyes.

"You were in bed a moment ago," he pointed out. She nodded, pushing off the doorway before heading towards him.

"How come I didn't know you could play the guitar?" she asked in reply. "You've kept that to yourself."

He placed the guitar down carefully next to the stairs before standing up. "I forgot I could," he admitted. "Or, rather, I knew I could, I just forgot I enjoyed it."

They met in the middle and he immediately could tell a difference in her. It was pleasantly surprising, but she looked a lot more comfortable around him than she had done since she had returned. And it wasn't as if she was particularly comfortable around anyone but him as it was.

"I'm disappointed," she chided cheekily. "You know I like a smart musician. You remember Professor Cox…"

"He's not a musician," he interrupted. "He's just a child playing on a keyboard." She was smirking slightly as he grumbled. He still didn't understand why she had liked him so much. It wasn't like he actually got anything right. The science of 21st century Earth was way off in a lot of things.

"It does beg the question, though, as to why you didn't play the guitar on Trenzalore," she continued, placing a hand on his arm and taking a step closer.

He knew that look in her eyes well. It wasn't one he expected to see for a while, let alone in the middle of the night when she'd been in bed. "So we could dance," he replied, dipping his head slightly lower. She didn't seem frightened by his close proximity. It looked like he needed to play the guitar more often.

She nodded. "That's a good reason," she agreed. "It was a good night, wasn't it? Lots of _dancing_."

"Danielle…" the Doctor started slowly.

She wasn't entirely sure what it was, but something about seeing him playing the guitar had reminded her of one of the many reasons she'd missed him. She'd missed his comfort, and his humour, and his cleverness. She'd missed just spending time with someone who had only wanted her time in return. But, on the stairs playing the guitar, he had looked so incredibly _hot_.

"It's late," she declared, taking a step back. Her hand ran down his arm to catch his hand in hers. "Are you coming to bed?"

He knew that she had woken up for a reason. It could have been a bad dream. It was more likely to have been a bad memory. But he had always been a self-proclaimed coward, and so very weak when it had come to her.

"I guess I could take a break," he purred, following her as she started to walk backwards. Her smirk grew and he knew he'd made the right choice. "Wouldn't want you dancing on your own, my Pet."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _There was a time in her life when the screaming would upset her. Danni never had liked to see people in trouble so the scene around her would have definitely made her increasingly anxious to fix it. The flames, the people running around and away from the giant building, the terror, they would have all wanted her to help every single person that ran away._

 _However, as she stood there, it was all just so annoying. That was all she could do to not tut at them. None of them were in immediate danger. They were all safe, and if not they were almost at a safe distance. Their homes weren't in danger, it was just a few buildings. It really wasn't a big deal._

 _She held her gun tightly in her hand anyway, though, as she watched the crowd run away. She was in a building above them looking down. This was going to happen anyway. She'd read about it. She'd studied the planet closely. In just under three weeks this city, the capital of the nation, was going to be decimated. She was just speeding it up. That was all she was doing. Starting with the city hall across the street from her. The biggest, most public, most beautiful building in the city._

 _She raised her hand, tightening her grip around the detonator. It wasn't like it bothered her, anyway. She didn't know these people, she didn't know their families or their lives. She just wanted to make some noise. Starting a war three weeks early was definitely going to do that._

 _He had to notice this time._

 _She couldn't wait any longer. She just hoped everyone was free._

 _She pressed the detonator and, across the way, the city hall crumbled downwards. People screams, sirens blared, but she waited. She watched, her eyes searching for the bluest of blues in the universe. She just wanted to make some noise. The Doctor had to come this time._

 _There was screaming coming from the building._

 _~0~0~0~_

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were hiding from me."

Jack had found Danni in the kitchen, after checking in there multiple times since he'd woken. He had checked a couple of places before deciding she must have been asleep still, but he hadn't been stupid enough to go looking for her bedroom. He knew _much_ better than that.

Danni was making some breakfast and glanced over her shoulder at him just as the toast popped out of the toaster. "I wasn't hiding," she replied honestly. "Hungry?"

He was, so she took the toast out and put another couple of slices in for her father. She really hadn't been hiding from him. She'd not had the chance to, she hadn't been up long and she was really trying to not just get up and hastily start her day. She was so used to getting up and running from wherever she had slept and it was a habit she wanted to get out of.

She placed his toast in front of him before sitting in the chair across the table. He thanked her. "Where's the Doctor?" he asked curiously before taking a bite. She'd buttered it just perfectly for him.

"I'm not sure, actually," she replied as she smothered her own slice in peanut butter. "I think he's hidden himself away in the TARDIS so we can talk in private." She tried not to roll her eyes. "I think he believes I need to talk about my feelings, or something."

"And you won't talk to him about them?" Jack asked, a little sceptical. "Isn't that what you two are all about? All that sappy nonsense."

"There's nothing to talk about," Danni retorted. "Why would I go on and on about something I really don't want to think about? It's not going to change anything, is it?"

She took a rather aggressive bite out of her toast and Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "You seem rather angry for someone who doesn't want to talk about it," he pointed out.

She swallowed her angry bite. "I know you're looking for this big explanation, Jack, but what do you want me to say? I was kidnapped, abused, manipulated and then I escaped. Apart from the gritty details of each of my crappy, _crappy_ days, I don't have anything else to say."

"So you escaped?" Jack pressed. "You said the Doctor rescued you."

"No, _you_ said he rescued me," she corrected. "Everyone thinks I need saving. And, yes, I had a little trouble distinguishing reality and dreams when I first got here but I've got the hang of it now."

"And that's why you tried to club the Doctor over your head with your gun," Jack said. She rolled her eyes, slouching into her chair like she was an exasperated teenager. "The gun that you're not even supposed to have because Danni always agreed with the Doctor's hatred of the things."

"Who said I like them now?" she countered. "I need one, there's a difference. Until the universe is rid of that monster then I am never going to be safe!"

Jack could see how agitated she was becoming. He hated that he could tell that she was trying to bottle it up. She pressed her lips together the moment the words had left her mouth because she didn't want more to fall out.

"You are safe, now," Jack told her gently. "Me and the Doctor are never going to let that happen to you again."

Danni let out a harsh bark of a laugh. "You don't think Missy has already planned for that?" she retorted. "She's always coming for me. And, unlike the Doctor, she is going to succeed."

"You escaped. You survived her. Even if she could get to you…"

"I won't survive her again," Danni interrupted, knowing exactly what he was going to say. Jack had always wanted her to be prepared but she did understand how jarring it was that she'd suddenly changed her mind on how to defend herself. The Doctor, no matter how understanding he was trying to be, wouldn't be happy until she let the gun go. She wasn't going to let it go until Missy wasn't a threat anymore. "You don't understand what she is capable of, Jack."

"I think I do," he replied. "I've been there, first hand, remember? We can all appreciate what the Master can do."

Danni quickly shook her head. "The Master wasn't like this," she insisted. "Something happened when he regenerated. The Master would _never_ have done what Missy did to me. I have lived through both, Jack. He wasn't like that."

"Danni, he was evil!" Jack exclaimed. "You know he was."

"The Master was sick," she countered. "Missy is _evil_. She is something new. You cannot underestimate her! She will come back for me but this time I am going to be prepared. The gun is me being prepared."

Jack sat back in his chair, watching her as she stared back defiantly. She seemed more upset that he was comparing Missy to the Master than she was that Missy might come back for her. She had always been one of the few people in the universe that could see the Doctor's bodies as different people but also keep them as the same man. She treated them all as separate and yet the same man in a unique way that even Jack struggled to emulate. Each of her relationships with each regeneration was treated as its own entity and yet, ultimately, she was in love with the Doctor and that was every single one of them.

So, it wasn't a surprise that she'd separated the Master as Jack knew him and Missy, this new regeneration who had actually gone a lot farther than even the previous. The surprising part was that she didn't seem to be able to see the fact that they were the same person.

He took a deep breath. "Alright," he started. He leant forward. "Let's get prepared, then."

Danni's brows furrowed. "What?"

"You're right," he told her. "I don't know much about Missy. I've learnt a lot but you're the one who's had to deal with her the most. I know when I'm out of my depth. You say she's coming back for you; I believe you. Let's get prepared."

Danni seemed surprised. "You believe me?" she asked.

"You don't believe that I do?" he asked in return.

No, she didn't. The Doctor was always insisting that Missy wouldn't get near her again so, when Jack had started down that same path, she thought that she was going to meet the same wall of resistance. It actually made her feel slightly better, slightly safer, to know that someone believed her when she said she wasn't safe.

"What should we do first?" she asked. "I mean, if she comes for me I think I can fight her off the best I can. I'm not great at hand to hand combat, but that's not normally her style."

Jack felt terrible about using her fear, but as Danni only seemed to be willing to talk about what happened when she was being confronted by the fear of it happening again, he didn't know what else to do.

"Well, let's start with locations," he replied. "Identify key risk zones. Where did she keep you?"

"I don't know," Danni replied. "I never found out. She took me so many places but I was never allowed to see where I was being kept. When I escaped I didn't have time to stick around and find out, either. It could have been anywhere."

"Alright. That's fine. What about time zones? Do you know what period of history you were in?"

Again, she had no answer for him. "I only know that I landed in the 76th century on Bulmaria," she explained. "I didn't have time to go back. I had to ditch the manipulator and run."

"How did you get away?" Jack asked. She shifted in her seat slightly.

"I just stole her vortex manipulator and ran," she dismissed. "I can't hide from her because I don't know what or where I'm hiding from. My only chance is to be ready when she comes. I'm a pretty mean shot, now. I just need people around me to be aware that Missy could be anywhere and it feels like…" She glanced at the door. "No one really believes me," she continued softly. "It's always there, in my head, I'm always looking but no one else is."

For a moment she looked so hurt because no one was taking her seriously, then it was gone and she was neutral yet again. Jack had the feeling that it wasn't because the Doctor was ignoring her fears but, rather, he either didn't know the extent or he was just trying to make her feel like she didn't have to watch her back at every turn.

"If you won't tell anyone what happened, no one is going to believe how important it is," the Captain told her gently. "The Doctor will listen to you, and I will too. You don't have to worry about that."

"I'm not worried about that," she replied. "I'm—" She pressed her lips together again. She knew exactly what Jack was doing, trying to coax it out of her. She knew that he wasn't going to leave her alone like the Doctor would. When she'd been alone, trapped in the room with Missy somewhere on the outside, she'd realised just how good the group of people she had in her life were for her. The Doctor would help her. He would give her space, let her come to him in her own time and when she did he would offer her every piece of help he could. Clara would take charge, deciding she knew what was best but she'd never pressure Danni into anything she didn't want to do. River would work on distracting her. She would roll her eyes, tell her to get over it and then they'd go somewhere exciting together. Jack, on the other hand, wouldn't let her hide away. When she was running too far away from her problems Jack would be right there, demanding to know what happened.

She knew it was what she needed, she just wasn't sure where to start. Telling _anyone_ felt like such a bad idea. But he was never going to let her hide forever. "I'm worried about who might hear," she explained, unable to meet his eye. "She has heard me before, she will hear me again. I can't let her know what I'm thinking."

"But you know she's not here," Jack replied calmly.

"I always knew she wasn't there," Danni said. "And then she would be. It doesn't matter how far away from her I think I am, she will _always_ hear me. I can't let her. She will use it against me."

"She did that?"

"Of course she did," she replied. "The moment she found a bit of weakness she played on it." She pointed the toast she still held in her hand at him. "Once I told the Doctor that I was scared that she would be hiding in the bed when I woke up in the morning. She kept me strapped to the bed for _three_ days. And she was there the entire time. She fed me these pills that would…" She trailed off to shift uncomfortably. "Well, she didn't want the mess…" she mumbled.

His eyes narrowed, the horror at the idea of her being strapped to a bed overridden by the anger from the same idea. A million ideas of what could have happened to her ran through his head. What had Missy had done to his daughter…

Danni frowned, sitting up a little straighter. "You really don't know, do you?" she asked him, a little surprised.

"Know what?" he asked in reply.

"What Missy is like," she explained. "I just… I thought…"

For some reason that thought stunned her. She had just assumed that, during their search for her, that they would have seen what Missy had done to her. Maybe Missy hadn't just been cleaning up to stop leaving a trail, maybe it was to make it seem like she wasn't a threat at all.

"What did you think she was doing to me?" she asked quietly, almost as if she was afraid of the answer. The truth was that she was afraid that she would have to correct him because it wasn't bad enough.

"I didn't think about it," Jack replied. "Well, I really tried not to think about it. I just knew I had to find you." He sighed. "Then your husband disappeared and there was a point where I thought I'd never see you again. In a sense, I guess I never did." He looked over her new body, which was not the one he thought he was going to find if he ever saw her again. "Nice to know you were thinking of me, Danni-Girl."

She shrugged. "I was always thinking of you," she replied. "All of you. For some reason you came on top. I wouldn't take it too much of a compliment, Harkness."

He held his arms out wide. "I call them like I see them," he replied smugly. "You don't look like River, do you?"

She pointed at him. "Don't you go throwing that in her face," she warned him. "Because you know the moment I regenerate into someone who looks like her she will be at your door ready to rub it in yours."

His face dropped slightly. "Damn it, you're right," he grumbled and she laughed. She really did feel more at ease when Jack was around. She always had done. She guessed it was just the feeling she got when the people she loved were around her. The Doctor always quelled any fears she had, but the more people she trusted were around her, the better she felt.

She swallowed and took another glance at the door. Jack watched, seeing her mood change. "What is it?" he asked her.

"I—" she started before shaking her head. "Alright, I'm going to tell you something. _But_ , you can't tell the Doctor. I mean—I mean I will, at some point. I'm just…" As she trailed off her hands clenched. "I'm still so angry, Jack. I don't want to tell him while I'm this angry."

He nodded. "Of course," he promised.

She nodded, taking a deep breath. She glanced at the door again, then she shifted again. "I don't remember being taken," she started quietly. "I just woke up on a bed and I—I was terrified because I was chained to the bed. Nothing ever good comes from being chained without your knowledge and against your will to a bed, does it? I thought that I was going to be sold or something, you know? A makeshift Time Lord probably has a high price. I almost got bought once before and that was before I even knew who I was."

"When was that?" Jack asked, curious despite himself.

"When I was ginger," she dismissed and he didn't ask anymore. "I didn't know who Missy was to begin with, but when I realised then I went from terrified to just flat-out petrified. She didn't like how I looked like her previous body and I begged her not to kill me. But she did. And I regenerated because, well, that's kinda what we do, isn't it? I'm part Time Lord and we regenerate."

She worried her hand. "She loved my new body," she continued, now unable to even look at Jack. "The things she did to me because of it… I think I must have reminded her of my first body. But she loved it. She liked to…" She reached up, running her hand through her hair. "She loved to touch my hair. She really liked it."

"Danni…" Jack started, reaching out for her. She went back to worrying her hands instead of taking his.

"Don't," she said and he pulled back. "I started trying to escape because I had been there so long it felt like I could just sit around anymore. I finally got hold of one of her manipulators but it was the wrong one. One was slaved to the other and she grabbed me before I could even get the Doctor to see me. She took me back and she was _really_ angry. She liked the body, you see, but I was just a bit too feisty. She kept going on about how passionate I could be, but it annoyed her when it was directed towards her. Even though she didn't like it when I didn't fight either."

She stopped talking and Jack knew that it was definitely not the end of the story. There was more that she wanted to say. "What did she do?" he asked gently.

"She—she made regenerate again," she whispered. "She killed me twice."

Her voice suggested that she was ashamed of even saying it loud, which just compounded every negative feeling her few words brought up. He was so incredibly angry he mimicked her and clenched his hands, his jaw locking. He was horrified because that was his _daughter_ and he knew what it was like to be tortured for the pleasure of others. He knew the guilt that Danni was holding because it was one that, no matter how many times he'd been told it wasn't his fault, it was one that took a long time to even think of getting rid of. A guilt at being caught, of being weak, of not winning sooner. She didn't deserve to feel that but it was very obvious that she did.

He stood up and walked around, crouching down to pull her into a hug. This time she didn't tense, or pull away. "She took a whole lifetime from me," she continued. "A whole body that ended up being purely hers. No one else saw it, and it is the _worst_ thing she could have done to me."

"I'm sorry, Danni," he replied because what else could he say? His anger wasn't going to help her. Well, it would in the future, but now she didn't need him to get angry.

He could feel an explosion coming very soon, though. Not yet, but soon.

"How do I tell him, dad?" she whispered and his heart broke all over again. "A whole Danni and he has no idea. How do I tell him that?"

"He'll understand," Jack promised. "You don't have to be afraid of that."

Danni pulled away. "I know he will," she replied. "That's the problem. If I tell him he'll just try and reassure me. She took a life from me! Any reassurance is just gonna make that real. I don't…" She was on the verge of tears. She took a moment, breathing deep, pushing everything down until the lump felt like it wasn't going to suffocate her anymore.

"You're not ready to face that yet," Jack finished. "I get that. There's a few things I've drown away in an attempt to not face them. Let me tell you something; it doesn't work."

She groaned. "Jack, don't give me the whole 'face your feelings' speech," she moaned.

"It's good speech," he defended. "And it's true, you know it is." She turned her head away from him. "You will get past this, Danni. Let people help you."

He stood up, giving her arm a rub. "I'm going to want more details," he warned her. "And I'm rather angry, so I'm going to go for a walk. But, for now, I'll drop it too." He picked up his plate. "More toast?"

She shook her head. "No, I think I'm going to find the Doctor," she replied, also standing up.

"To tell him?" Jack asked.

"To see what he's up to," Danni said. "He's been hiding a while. I worry when he spends too much time on his own. That's how the books start flying in the library."

He opened his mouth to ask more questions, then decided it wasn't worth it. Instead he asked a question that really was. "What was she like?" he asked. Danni frowned. "The Danni we didn't meet?"

Danni smiled sadly. "Ginger and Scottish," she replied before heading to the door. "That's why you shouldn't be flattered; I went Amy first."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Hey everybody! I don't have much to say except that Wiped Out has been updated. Go check it out!_

 _Reviews!_

 _ **Michael Thomas1** \- Hi! I've seen you reviewing and I have to say it's been an absolutely amazing experience for me! Thanks for sticking through my terrible writing until my not-so-terrible writing. If you want more there's a bunch of side stories, like Wiped Out, as well as the Outtakes that you might want to check out. Bare in mind the Outtakes stretch from the first ever story, but it has some extra content that might help answer some questions you have had over the time :)_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Thanks sweetie! I hope you think I did a good job with Jack. We will see the Ponds, but I've got a bit with Clara that I want to get to first. We definitely are going back, though. Can't stay away from the Ponds for too long x_

 _ **Jojo** \- Thanks sweetie!_

 _ **Quinnmarie** \- Thanks sweetie! We will get to the Ponds, I promise!_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie!_

 _ **bored411** \- Thanks sweetie, hope you liked the chapter :)_

 _ **Authora97** \- That's my goal. Danni had something horrible happen to her, it's just not going to go away. I'm glad I'm doing it even a little bit of justice :)_


	21. The Missing Crew

Danni automatically didn't like the fact that it was dark. A hallway with no one in it was always worrying. A dark hallway with no one in it was practically screaming out that they were about to run into trouble.

"I thought you said it was daytime," she said to her husband. He was already in the hallway, obviously. He wasn't going to take any caution in this sort of thing.

"I thought it was day, turns out it's night," the Doctor retorted, turning around so he was facing her. She was stood in the TARDIS doorway, one foot in and one foot out. She was nervous, he could tell. He held his arms out to his side. "Where's your sense of adventure, Danielle?" he asked. "Dark, mysterious hallways. Not a person in sight. We used to do this all the time. Can you even remember the last time we did this?"

"Yes," she replied. "We were trapped in an underwater base on Earth and I had to watch you become a ghost."

The Doctor barely paused. "And that turned out fine, didn't it?" he pointed out. "Come on, let's just go for a little explore. The TARDIS is fine where she is."

"Yeah, Danni-Girl," Jack said, appearing at her side. He handed her a torch before stepping out as well. She glared at the back of his head. "Live a little."

"I've lived at lot," she snapped back. "And I would like to continue living. Why are you so interested in getting killed?"

"Come on, Danielle," the Doctor almost whined. "We're in orbit around Neptune. It's somewhere new and exciting. Don't you want to experience it?"

She shifted slightly, nibbling on her lip as she looked around what she could see of the hallway. There were some lights in the ceiling above them, but they were dim and gave off an almost red tinge which really didn't help with the atmosphere. Everything else looked pretty standard, though. And this was her idea. She had been getting a little cabin crazy and she'd suggested a trip.

She pressed the button on the torch and was pleased to see it was bright enough to actually illuminate the immediate hallway. She could almost see down it. "Fine, I'm coming," she conceded. She stepped out and the TARDIS door immediately shut behind her. She spun, shining the light on the door. "Oi!" she exclaimed. "Rude!"

"It's three against one, Danni-Girl," the Doctor said and she turned, pointing the light onto his chest. He reached out, wiggling his fingers. "Coming for a walk?"

"Looks like I don't have a choice," she grumbled, but walked over and took his hand anyway. "Have we ever been to Neptune?"

The Doctor frowned as the trio started walking. "I don't think so," he admitted. "I do try and keep out of this solar system when I can. Why stay at home when you can go abroad?"

"Not my Earth, not my solar system," she reminded him. "I grew up on a different Earth, remember?"

The Doctor shook his head. "They have more in common than they do different," he dismissed. "You've told me so yourself."

Jack just walked at Danni's side as the two bickered over two different Earths. He did, actually, agree with the Doctor, but he knew better than to speak up. Danni had told him about her childhood and there wasn't anything different about her Earth and this universe's Earth. Still, he guessed she didn't get to explore a lot of her old home when she was a child.

He raised his torch up to shine it on one of the many corners the sectioned hallway had. There was an ornate wall hanging, red and gold with a face that felt very Earth oriental.

"Shouldn't we have been pulled into the planet by now?" he commented as a movement behind them caught his eye. He was quickly on alert but also didn't want to let whoever it was know they'd been spotted.

"They must have some pretty powerful anti-grav shielding on board," the Doctor offered in reply. Danni had tensed up beside him, her grip on his hand tightening. And, judging by Jack's sudden change in demeanour, something was about to descend on them.

"The decorations make even less sense than the dark, though," Danni said as they continued to walk down the hall. There were people behind them who were following them. They thought that the darkness was a good cover for them, and it probably would have been had she not taught herself to keep an eye out for people following her. At least she knew it wasn't Missy; she definitely wouldn't hide away with others like that.

"Could be a restaurant," Jack offered. "Some kind of Earth-Oriental place. Bet there's a nice view out of the windows."

"If there are any," Danni retorted.

There was a click and they were illuminated by light as four people stepped out of the shadows. The sound of their guns powering up caused them to turn around. Danni dropped the Doctor's hand and pulled her own gun out of her pocket. Jack mirrored her stance next to her.

The Doctor, on the other hand, just stared in slight surprise at them. He should have known that they'd be soldiers. It was never anyone with a giant cake, was it?

"Hello," he greeted lowly. One stepped closer. She had markings on her face that immediately identified her as a grunt. He really wasn't fond of clone races bred for military purposes. Danni probably wouldn't be best pleased, either.

"Are you crew?" one of them demanded. She was the leader. "Are you crew?"

The Doctor kept a close eye on them all as he reached into his pocket, pulling out his psychic paper. He didn't even check to see what they thought was being shown to them, he instead showed it to the grunt. When he took a step away from the trio he slowly made his way over to the rest, reaching out only to push the barrel of Jack's gun downwards.

"Engineering stress assessors?" the leader asked, sounding a little disbelieving.

"Yes," the Doctor immediately agreed. It was always a little interesting to see what people wanted to see. "Yes, we are." He placed the paper back into his pocket. "We're here to, er…"

"Assess stress," Jack finished for him.

"With guns?" one of them asked.

"There's a _lot_ of stress," Danni retorted. Jack was already putting his gun away, but she kept hers out. Just in case. She wasn't completely convinced that they wouldn't just start shooting. They were soldiers, after all.

"So, what happened?" the leader asked them.

The Doctor frowned. "From the beginning of time? That's a very long story."

"Doctor," Danni hissed in warning. "We've only just arrived," she told the soldiers. "We came to do the assessment and there's no one about. What are you doing here?"

The leader looked the three over before deciding that they weren't a threat. She lowered her gun. "Twenty four hours ago, this station fell silent," she explained. "No comm signal. Nothing. Dead. We've come to find out why."

The Doctor glanced at his wife, who also lowered her gun and placed it in her pocket. The amount of relief he felt at seeing her do so was a little bit over the top, but never the less it was still there. "Theories?" he asked the leader.

"Could be anything," she replied. "Meteorite strike. Space pirates. Power outage."

"That makes you the rescue mission," Jack guessed. She nodded once. "They can't think there's much going on if there's only four of you."

"Cuts, pet," the woman replied. "Right, you're to consider yourself…

" _Part of the furniture_ ," the Doctor sung, a grin on his face. From his side he heard Danni snort in laughter and, although she didn't actually laugh, he nudged her anyway. Apparently she was rather fond of the more foolish Doctor he knew he could be. She always had been, but he filed that away under the new information he was still learning about her newest incarnation; looked serious, was a giant child underneath.

Just like he was, actually. He liked that.

The leader, on the other hand, looked distinctly unimpressed. "Under my command," she corrected firmly.

"Okay." The Doctor frowned. "Really?"

"Yes, really," she retorted and Jack shot her a salute.

"Yes, Ma'am," he agreed. "Can we get a name, though, before we start following commands?"

She looked between the three, gauging their trustworthiness. "Nagata," was all she offered. "Come on."

With a wave of her hand her little gaggle of soldiers followed. Jack was quick to fall by her side. "You're from Earth, aren't you?" he asked, trying to start a conversation and learn more about the little group at the same time.

"What of it, pet?" she replied as she scouted the area. He shrugged.

"Nothing, really," he said. "I'm from New Wales. It's nice to see someone from the same neck of the woods. Especially someone who seems to actually know what they're doing."

She didn't reply for a moment, moving her gun from side to side so she could see the hallway in the light it provided. "Well, that's why we're in charge, isn't it?" she said.

"In charge?"

She nodded. "It said on your ID that you were the team leader," she explained to him. "I thought you were. Well, you or the lass anyway."

Jack had to hide his amusement at being designated the leader. He knew it was only because both he and Danni had pulled out guns to protect themselves whilst the Doctor had stood there confused, as he was normally the one everyone thought to be in charge. It was just an insight to how everyone in the military felt about weaponry. Still, it was definitely something he could hold over their heads later.

"She's my second," he explained. "Nice spot, though. Captain Jack Harkness."

"Don't flirt with me, pet," she warned him. "You're still under my command."

He held his hands up. "I wasn't flirting!" he promised. "Why do people always assume I am?"

Behind them the Doctor and Danni took longer to follow. They watched the soldiers get into formation and follow their leader, leaving the two to follow at the back, the grunt waiting so she could take up the rear.

"You're an idiot," Danni muttered, walking closer to him so she could keep her voice lower. "Oliver? Really?"

"You liked my singing last night," he reminded a little cheekily. She rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't have if you were singing Oliver," she told him. "There's a time and a place. Neither here nor last night were time to break out into Broadway classics."

"We'll have to agree to disagree on that," he retorted.

She didn't respond, which the Doctor took as a win. "So, Spaceman, when are we?"

The Doctor took her hand again, pulling her over to the wall. There were more decorations and a wall screen with a logo printed on it.

The Doctor quickly recognised the characters. "Indo-Japanese," he told her. He sucked on his finger, holding it behind his ear. "Thirty eighth century." He placed his finger in his mouth, giving it a good suck before taking it out with a pop. He pointed at her with it. "Tuesday."

That wasn't how that worked. Danni knew that, no matter how clever and in tune with time he was, there was no way that licking his finger to feel and taste the air would give him a sense of what time period they were in.

That was an argument for another day, though. Well, either an argument or a tutorial because that seemed pretty bloody handy to know. "Thirty eighth century?" she repeated. "Wasn't that just after the first Great Catastrophe?"

He looked down at her, vaguely surprised. "You know about that?"

She nodded. "The tectonic plates all shifted. India and Japan, you know," she brought her hands together in a clap, "and merged together." She looked at the screen. "I didn't realise there was a new language from it."

He was still staring at her and he watched her brows furrow in confusion when she looked back to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He nodded. "You're very clever," he declared. "I like it."

She smirked slightly. "Well, I'll get some 'I'm clever' specs and you can see how I used to feel," she teased lightly before turning serious once again. "There's still no sign of the crew, though, is there?"

"Mind you," the Doctor said as he took in the hallway. "This place looks as if it's been dead for a long while now." He ran his finger along the edge of the screen before blowing the dust that he'd collected off, as if the demonstrate his point.

"That can't be right, though. She said that it only went dead twenty four hours ago," Danni reasoned.

"Come on," the Doctor said with a nod of his head. "We don't want to fall behind and risk leaving Harkness with a bunch of people to flirt with."

"Leave him alone," Danni chided. "He doesn't flirt with _everything_. When I'm around he reserves that strictly for me."

That didn't reassure the Doctor, who started to walk off. Danni took one last look at the screen and found herself unable to look away. Just the sight of it made her incredibly uncomfortable, a feeling that she had become used to over the recent and not-so-recent years.

The Doctor paused, looking at his wife who was staring at the screen like it had offended her. "Danielle?" he called and she turned her head to look at him. "Everything okay?"

Her first instinct was to tell him that everything was fine, but Jack's advice had made an impression on her. She didn't want to push the Doctor away. They'd fought so hard to make their marriage work again after he'd regenerated that she didn't want her regeneration to ruin that. But, she had reason to be suspicious. She'd spent a long time honing in the ability to bottle things away.

She nodded slowly. "I'm still getting that feeling of being watched," she explained truthfully. "Missy has used monitors on me before. I'm just…" She looked back at it. "It's fine," she whispered, more to herself than to him. "I know it's fine. She's not watching me. It's fine."

With a firm nod of her head to pretend she'd fully convinced herself that Missy wasn't watching her, she joined him at his side again. She took his hand and linked their fingers and all the Doctor could offer was a kind smile because he was so proud of her. Even though the feeling was there, one that he kind of agreed with even though he was more convinced it was from the spooky atmosphere, she was slowly starting to fight it.

He didn't want to tell her that, though, not out loud where people could hear it. He wanted her to feel safe first, so he moved them back into the middle of the group. They all continued silently, looking for any sign of the crew that had seemingly vanished. Danni really did try and ignore the thought that someone was watching her. She was always on the lookout for a door out of her perceived dream, or Missy to step around from a corner. The Doctor had tried to reassure her that she'd run into a mass of panicking Daleks and the chance of surviving had been quite low, but when had that stopped the Master in any incarnation?

Danni winced slightly, berating herself before looking over her shoulder. Nothing was there, just the dark illuminated very slightly by the emergency lighting. Missy wasn't here. No one was watching them.

"Danni," the Doctor encouraged gently and she turned back around.

"Sorry," she replied when she'd realised they'd all come to a stop around her. "I can really feel it."

"Eyes. Watch," the grunt declared. "Eyes in sky."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" one of the other soldiers snapped in annoyance.

"Chopra not worry. 474 protect Chopra," the grunt declared, walking over to the soldier. "Chopra pretty."

She reached out to stroke his cheek but he batted her hand away. "Oh, for the Gods'!" he exclaimed. "Just back off!"

He pushed the grunt – 474 what kind of name was that?! – away. All hell broke loose as 474 grabbed him, tuning him around and putting him in a chokehold. They both sunk to the floor as Chopra fought to get free.

Nagata and her fourth soldier rushed forward. "Let him go, pet!" she commanded, not sounding panicked or terrified, but just stern.

"474 sorry," 474 replied.

"Let him go, now!" Nagata commanded again.

"Not help it!" 474 cried before letting go. Chopra was quick to his feet as the grunt moved to the wall, curling up on herself.

"It could have killed me!" Chopra exclaimed, furious.

"She's a grunt!" Jack snapped. "They're grown to respond to any attack. You're the one who pushed her."

Chopra looked at Jack. "It attacked me!" he cried.

"You attacked her first," Jack pointed out. "You're lucky she didn't break your neck."

Danni looked from her father to the grunt, who was cowering against the wall and whimpering. 474 couldn't help it, she'd said so herself. Chopra was the one who attacked her, and he knew a lot more about the poor woman on the floor than Danni did. She had a few questions about them being 'grown', but she trusted Jack more than she trusted some soldiers.

She walked away from the Doctor and crouched down in front of 474. "Hey," she said softly, hands in front of her. "I'm not going to hurt you and I'm not going to tell you off, okay?" The grunt nodded. "Are you okay?"

"Is it okay?" Chopra said, still unsure why people weren't being more sympathetic to his trauma. "It's just a grunt!"

Danni's teeth immediately clenched in anger. Some people were just so _rude_ and she really couldn't stand it. She smiled at 474 before looking over her shoulder. "She's not an 'it', she's a 'she'," she corrected. "And as you don't seem to get the whole 'respect other people'—"

"It's not a person!"

Danni raised her voice to speak over him. "-through your thick skull you can _shut the fuck up_ until I say otherwise, understood?"

He opened his mouth and she raised her finger in warning. "Do I look like I'm joking?" she snapped. His mouth closed.

Danni turned back to 474, smiling at her again. "Are you okay?" she asked and the grunt nodded. "Do you need help getting up?"

The Doctor watched her, marvelling at her ability to be both as kind as he remembered and as angry as he remembered at the same time. She was once described as having anger in her eyes and her heart. That wasn't true, but she'd always been very passionate about what she believed in. This time around that appeared to be people's manners.

"No help," 474 replied and Danni moved out of the way and towards the Doctor.

"What do they mean 'grown'?" she asked him quietly.

"She's a grunt," he explained. "They're bred in hatcheries. Cloned muscles. Low intelligence. Brute force. Instant army."

Danni shook her head. Sometimes she really didn't like humanity. "The thirty eighth century," she murmured. "Sounds progressive, but really isn't."

The large growl from deep in the dark pulled everyone's attentions off the injustices against grown people and back into the immediate danger. Jack waited behind as the soldiers followed the noise, 474 immediately rushing to the front to be the brute force.

Danni and the Doctor caught up to him and they headed deeper into the space station. There was still no lighting, in fact the emergency lighting seemed to dim even further. Her hand was close to her pocket, ready to pull out her gun the moment she needed to. Jack already had his out.

Everyone came to a stop as the source of the growling came into view. A group of humanoid creatures, with long arms, no features and cracked skin were slowly making their way down the hallway. It was unclear if they'd noticed the new group of people, however.

"Hold my hand," the Doctor said lowly from Danni's side.

He was stood on the same side as her gun and her hand twitched slightly. "I'm not scared," she promised him.

"I am," he replied. She was a little surprised at his declaration, but quickly reached out and took his hand again. He held onto her tightly and she had to admit, she always felt better when holding his hand. Especially because she knew that this was her Doctor, not some dream, not some projection in a virtual world. Her Theta. He would keep her safe just as she would him. It was incredibly reassuring.

The sound of the guns powering up caught the attention of whatever the creatures were. With a combined roar they started advancing a lot quicker than they had been walking. The soldiers and Jack started firing. The Doctor turned and began to pull Danni the other way.

"Oh, run, run, run! Run! Run!" he shouted. Danni was more than happy to follow him. A few more fires of their guns and everyone else was quick on their tails as the shots didn't seem to do any damage at all.

"Follow me! Straight ahead!" one of the soldiers cried as they reached a junction, turning down the other way to where they were all heading.

There was no time to follow him. "No! This way! Deep-Ando!" Nagata shouted behind her as they continued down the hallway. She could only hope he'd listen, turn back, and follow them.

The first door they came across the Doctor opened, letting them all inside. It appeared to be some sort of laboratory, which could come in useful, but with only the one door in then they should be safe as long as they could keep the creatures out.

"Quick! Push anything in front of it!" he shouted over the noise. "We've got to keep them out!" Danni helped him chuck some equipment off a cabinet, ready to move it in front of the door but the creatures were already there.

"Deep-Ando! We've lost him!" Nagata shouted as she, Chopra and Jack tried to force the door closed. Whatever the creatures were, they were really strong. "What the hell are they?2

"Pissed. I'm going to say they're pissed," Jack grunted as the force from the other side shook them all.

"We've got to get Deep-Ando!" Nagata cried.

"He went the wrong way!" Danni replied. "If we go after him we're all dead. Hopefully we drew enough of them that he got to safety, but we can't exactly go looking for him right now."

One particularly heavy push from the other side allowed one of the creatures to reach in. The trio did their best to push it back out but the arm reached for anything it could grab whilst the creature roared angrily.

"474!" Nagata shouted. The grunt knew exactly what to do, rushing at the door. With the strength she had, she closed the door on the arm and it crumbled into dust. The thudding stopped immediately, along with the roars.

"What the hell were those things?" Jack panted as he leant against the door.

Nagata slowly approached the window in the door, looking out. There was no sign that they had even been there. "Where did they go?" she asked.

The Doctor looked out as well, but Danni crouched down to the floor where the dust had settled. She picked up a handful and let it run through her fingers. A creature made of dust? Well, it wasn't exactly original but also wasn't something she really thought she'd have to deal with. The dust wasn't reforming, which was good because they could have been dealing with a renegade arm. Or a miniature version of whatever the creatures were.

"Right, what do we do now?" Jack asked. "We can't leave in case they come back. We can't stay in case they come back."

"We need to work out what exactly we're dealing with," Danni replied, standing up again. "All we know is that they're big, strong and angry." She looked to the Doctor as Nagata began to instruct her soldiers to move a large container in front of the door before contacting Deep-Ando. "Are they from Neptune?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Well, not that I know of at any rate, and I do know a lot."

"And you don't recognise them from anywhere else?"

"If I did I would have said," he pointed out and she nodded.

"Well, sometimes your brain is so full of rubbish that I think things get lost in there. Sometimes it's just best to check." The Doctor shot her a suitably outraged look but she was already turning her attention to Jack. "What about you, Mr Ex-Con Man?"

He shook his head. "Nothing I've come across before," he said.

"Well, let's find out what they are," the Doctor declared, taking charge. "You two find out where we are."

Jack nodded. "On it, Doc."

The Doctor bent down, scooping up some of the dust. "Stop calling me that."

"Whatever you say, Doc," Jack replied, walking away to find something he could hack into, leaving Danni to wander around and look at the equipment. Everything in the near vicinity seemed pretty standard science tech. A couple of examining tables, some cabinets with test tubes and other equipment inside, and a microscope or two.

"What are you doing?" Nagata asked the Doctor as he walked over to one of the microscopes.

"Finding out what they're made of," he replied, placing a little of the sample underneath the lens. A couple presses of buttons and the results displayed on the screen above.

"Well?"

"Organic," the Doctor told her. "Definitely organic. Blood cells. Skin cells." His nose wrinkled up. "Mucus."

"Mucus?" Danni repeated, equally disgusted. "I touched that."

The Doctor didn't tear his eyes away from the screen as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small tube of hand sanitiser and chucked it her way. She caught it in one hand, surprised as she read the label.

"Thanks, sweetie," she said, genuinely meaning it as she squirted some of the gel into her palm. She placed the tube into her pocket as she walked over to Jack, rubbing her hands together.

He was stood by a group of large, white containers with controls down one side. She frowned. "What are these?" she asked him.

"They seem to be some sort of chamber," he explained. "For one person, I would hazard a guess. Look," he nodded to the top where there appeared to be a small opening covered with a panel, "that's where you'd talk to the person inside."

"It's Morpheus," Chopra said, having joined them in his frustration over the treatment of 474.

"Morpheus?" Jack repeated.

"Like the God of Dreams?" Danni asked. The Doctor walked over, looking at her impressed.

"You're being clever on purpose now," he accused.

"Actually sometimes I just can't help it," she replied. "If they're called Morpheus, are they just sleeping chambers? Why are they in a lab?"

"They're more than that," Chopra replied before he raised his hand to his ear. "Deep-Ando?" he asked, walking away. "Deep-Ando, can you hear me?"

Danni had to resist rolling her eyes. They were worried about their comrade, she understood, she felt for them. But did everything always have to interrupt getting a full answer?

The Doctor saw the flicker of frustration on her face. "I could take a look at that. You know, triangulate the signal, help you find your friend."

"First, tell me what those things are," Nagata said. The Doctor didn't have an answer for that.

"Deep-Ando, this is Chopra," Chopra continued before looking over at his leader. "I'm getting a signal," he explained before walking off. The Doctor shot Jack a meaningful look, nodding after the soldier and Jack followed. They wanted the Doctor focused on the monsters, but half of the mystery was finding out what happened to their friend.

Danni bent down and looked at the controls on the side. There wasn't much of a control panel, just a few buttons and one that was obviously an open switch. She pressed it and the lid immediately opened. She jumped back and into the Doctor, but the chamber was empty.

"What's so special about this, then?" Danni asked him, "It's just a chamber, right? Why is it in a lab?"

People were always asking him questions that he didn't know the answer to. He really didn't know what the creatures that were chasing them were, or where they originated from, or why they were made of mucus of all things. Danni's questions, though, never felt like they were demanding answers. They felt like she was just as confused as he was, and that sharing the confusion was more of way to figure it out quicker.

He pulled her close with an arm around her waist, placing a kiss on her hair. She tensed again, but the way she didn't pull back said she appreciated it as much as he did. He let go to head around the back to see what else he could see.

Danni leant in to take a closer look at the pod. It looked rather luxuriously lined, and there was a circuit on the lid. Wires came out from underneath the padding on the top of the lid, probably to connect to whoever was going to use it. She pulled out her sonic screwdriver, pointing it at the lid before giving it a quick buzz.

She screamed as the wires shot out, pulling her into the pod and the world went dark.

Across the room Jack reacted the moment she started to make a noise. He turned, running over to see the lid close down over his daughter. "Danni!" he cried, placing his hands on the lid to try and push it over. The Doctor reacted much the same, but both men couldn't get it to budge. The pod let out an alarm before a projection appeared just over the hatch on the top.

Four women, all dressed in black dresses with white spots, with pristine hair and heeled shoes stood on top of the pod. They danced lightly to the music that started playing before singing along.

" _Bom, bom, bom, bom, bom, bom. Mister Sandman, bring me your dreams…_ "

The Doctor and Jack stared, perplexed, for a moment before the Doctor startled himself into action. He moved back to the side, trying to open it again. "Danni!"

"It's fine, it's just Morpheus," Nagata told him, sounding like she didn't understand what the big deal was. The big deal was that some large contraption had just ate his wife! Trapping a woman who had just spent the last god knows how long in a small metal box. He was surprised she didn't scream for longer.

"That thing just sucked her in while she was screaming," Jack snapped. "It's not fine!"

The Doctor reached down, pressing the button that Danni had used to open it up in the first place. Immediately the singing women stopped and the lid opened. Danni was lying on the padded surface, her eyes closed and with wires connected to her all over her face and hands, her sonic screwdriver lying just out of her reach. The Doctor felt so much better at seeing her and he began removing the wires.

"Danni, Danni, are you okay?" he asked as her eyes fluttered open.

Danni smiled at her husband, whose face always made her feel like waking up was a good idea. His presence alone was enough reason to not stay in bed all day. Of course, then she remembered that she hadn't gone to bed at all.

She shot up, eyes wide as she looked at all the people around her. The Doctor was next to her, there were soldiers staring at her, and Jack look positively relieved that she was awake.

She did not share that sentiment.

"Get them off, get them off!" she exclaimed, tearing at her hands to pull the sticky pads off her skin. The Doctor pulled the last off her face before catching it in his hands, forcing her to look at him.

"Calm down," he instructed firmly. "What happened? What were you doing?"

"I-I—" she stuttered. She didn't feel like calming down. She very much felt like she'd been pulled into a chamber without her consent, which seemed to be something to be worked up about. "I was just trying to see what the circuit did and the wires jumped out at me." She looked down at the wires that were sat in her lap. "I guess they thought I needed some sleep."

The Doctor helped her out, reaching over to grab her sonic screwdriver as she thought about it more. She'd been pulled in and then it had gone dark. But, almost as quickly the Doctor had been hovering over her. She barely remembered the lid shutting and she really didn't remember it opening again.

"Did it put me to sleep?" she asked quietly.

The Doctor knew that answering that question wasn't going to help her calm down. He still didn't know to what extent Missy had abused her whilst she was asleep, he just knew it was a thought that kept her awake at night instead of going to sleep when she needed to. It was probably the reason that the pod had dragged her into it in the first place.

He grabbed her hand, placing her screwdriver in her palm before closing her fingers around it. He kept hold of her hand in both of his. "It's a clever little sleep pod," he replied. The answer didn't give her much comfort, but the answer enraged Jack, who turned to Chopra.

"You said it was more than just a sleep bod," he snapped. "What did you mean by that?"

"Come on, everyone knows," Nagata replied dismissively. Jack turned to her. He wanted to point out how _stupid_ it was to say that because if he was asking, he didn't know. Instead he just glared at her.

"We're here to assess. This is us assessing," he exclaimed. "What does the damn pod do?"

"Last pod," 474 called over. "This pod. Not empty."

Everyone's attention was pulled over to the pod, but Jack's was still firmly on his daughter. She was looking around, even as she followed the Doctor over to the sleep pod, trying to find the inaccuracies in the world around her. She clutched her sonic screwdriver tightly like it was a weapon. He knew her stance well; in her head, she was under attack and there was nothing she could do about it apart from fight.

The Doctor tried to open the sleep pod the same way he'd opened the one Danni had been sucked into, but the controls didn't seem to want to work. He pulled out his sonic sunglasses and gave them a quick buzz. All it did, though, was start the holographic video from before.

" _Bom, bom, bom, bom, bom, bom_."

He shook his head. "Oh, no. No, no. enough of that." He reached down underneath the controls, running his fingers along it until he found an eject button.

"Are they singing Mr Sandman?" Danni asked, a little confused.

"Yeah, it does that," the Doctor replied, ejecting a small disc. The hologram vanished and he took their place, taking off his glasses before trying to open the hatch. It made a whirring noise as he fought against the mechanism inside. "It's almost like… someone's…" he groaned, getting it almost got it open before it snapped back.

"Careful!" Danni told him. He nodded before looking at Jack.

"Captain," he instructed. Jack climbed up on the other side and the two tried to open the hatch. Once again it just snapped shut before they could see inside.

"Whoever is in there doesn't want to get out," Jack commented before giving the hatch three firm knocks with his fist. "Hi," he called through. "Captain Jack Harkness. We're the rescue team, we've come to save you. I'm going to guess you're hiding from the dust monsters. We are too. Perhaps we can help each other. How does that sound?"

There was nothing and Jack had almost decided that he really needed answers more than he needed to be calm and collected. Then the hatch opened an incredibly pale man with transparent framed glasses poked his head out.

"Ah, he rises," the Doctor drawled. "We want a word with you."

"Who- Who are you?" the man stuttered out. "Are you the rescue team?"

"Said we are, didn't I?" Jack retorted. "Wanna open the pod and join us?"

The man looked between the group, specifically the Doctor and Jack, to see if really did want to join them. He must have decided it was safe to do so because his head disappeared and the pod opened up. The short man in his white outfit stepped out.

"I'm—I'm Professor Rassmussen," the man introduced. "I was hiding from the creatures. I didn't know if it was safe."

"Nothing truly is," the Doctor drawled. "And you never answered the question."

Rassmussen frowned. "What question?"

"Not you," the Doctor dismissed before turning to Nagata. "What is Morpheus?"

"Oh, I can help with that," Rassmussen declared before Nagata could attempt to answer. "Let me just…" He walked over to the controls, giving them a poke himself before stepping back.

A disembodied head was projected above the pods. The woman was smiling, looking as if she was addressing them all.

" _May the Gods look favourably upon us all,_ " she greeted.

"Oh great, an infomercial," Danni muttered. The Doctor shot her a look and she took his hand in return. He held onto it tightly.

" _Friends,_ " the head continued. _"We live in a time of unparalleled prosperity. A golden age of peace, harmony and industry. But every shift must come to an end. Every working day must stop._ " She held a hand out, a small yawning woman stood on it. " _Of course, we can take stimulants to make that deadline, to keep us propped up through that important meeting. But always, always, sleep claims us in the end._ " The woman curled up on her hand before falling asleep. The head turned back to smile at them. " _Until now_."

"Sleep-deprivation pods?" the Doctor guessed.

"Not exactly," Chopra replied, sounding just as disgusted with them as the Doctor felt he was going to be when he finally got an answer.

" _Welcome, Morpheus._ " In the background 'Mr Sandman' began to play, this time without the dancing women. " _The Morpheus machine concentrates the whole nocturnal experience into one five minute burst. Now, you can go a whole month without sleep._ "

Danni's eyes widened. "A month?" she exclaimed, horrified.

" _All the chemical benefits of rest, but freeing up the nights to continue working, working, working. To get the edge on your competitor. To turn that extra profit._ "

Danni turned to the Doctor. "Is that what happened to me?" she asked, her voice raising in volume. "Did that thing steal a _month_ of my sleep? That's terrifying!"

"Finally, someone who sees it for what it is!" Chopra said, almost smugly.

" _Leave the Rip Van Winkles behind and become one of a new generation of Wide-Awakes! The future is here. The future is now. Let yourself slip into the arms of Morpheus!_ "

The head disappeared and Danni could feel herself shaking. "No, no I don't want that," she rambled. "Nothing I did or said indicated that I wanted that! Sleep is…"

The head reappeared. " _Terms and conditions apply,_ " she said before the disappearing again. Danni just stared, her hearts pounding.

Missy had played with her sleep a lot. She'd put her to sleep for days, week, months on end, and then wouldn't let her sleep for the same amount. Being in control of her own sleep habits was something she was still getting used to. Having that torn away from her – even if to take away the need for it – wasn't something she was prepared to do.

"You weren't in there for five minutes," he promised her. "Sleep is vital. Sleep is wonderful. Why would you want to take it away completely?"

"Morpheus is mine," Rassmussen spoke up shakily. "My invention. It's changed Triton society forever."

"Yes, by making your workers take no more breaks, no more time to themselves?" Jack snapped. "Yeah, you've _really_ done good for the world."

Chopra motioned to Jack. "It's disgusting," he agreed. "Making people into bloody drones. I've said it before…"

"Aye, you have," Nagata interrupted.

"Colonising our sleep. Is nothing sacred?"

"We spend a third of our lives asleep," Rassmussen reasoned. "And time is money."

"Nothing ever changes," Jack muttered.

"So, how does it work?" the Doctor asked him.

"The pod sends out a coded electronic signal that acts on certain parts of the brain. Changes the fundamental chemistry."

"It's amazing," Nagata said. "Everyone on Triton's using it."

"That doesn't make something actually good," Danni pointed out. "A lot of people play football, I'm still not convinced that's a good thing." She turned to the Doctor. "Whatever they're doing to themselves does not give them the right to do it to me," she stated bluntly. "I'm done. I want to go back to the TARDIS."

Jack was in two minds about that statement. There were monsters about, and pods that sucked you in to force you to stay away, he wasn't best pleased about having his daughter in the middle of that. Especially since he'd only scratched the surface of what happened to her. However, he also knew it was just her fear talking. Danni never ran away from something because she was scared. She loved being thrown head first into adventure, she had always been that way. She'd conditioned herself to run.

"You're fine, Danni," Jack promised her. "Don't you want to know what those creatures are?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"Then you're not going anywhere, are you?" he replied. "You know you're not."

Danni crossed her arms and the Doctor actually felt like praising Jack for countering her fear. He couldn't do that because he felt the same as her. She was more than capable, but he also didn't want to lose her again. It was a hard balance.

He paced away, his mind racing. The best way to get to the end was to work out what was going on. "'Sleep, that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care'," he recited just to see the recognition on her face. Danni had always liked her Shakespeare. "'The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath. Balm of hurt minds, chief nourisher in life's great feast.'" He walked around, his mind racing over his newly acquired information. The science the professor spouted sounded good, but he didn't believe it was as easy as that. Changing the chemical makeup of anything was going to end badly, especially when done for greed and not for the benefit of the people at large. There would be residue, waste, debris from the change.

He came to a stop back next to Rassmussen. That was it, wasn't it? Those creatures were the waste.

He looked at Rassmussen. "Congratulations, Professor. You've revolutionised the labour market. You've conquered nature," he praised. Rassmussen straightened, surprised and a little smug.

"Thank you."

The Doctor stared at him, serious. "You've also created an abomination."

That also surprised the constantly startled man. "I'm—I'm sorry?"

"So you say," the Doctor dismissed before turning to Danni. "What do we do next?"

"Well, we still don't know what the creatures are," she reasoned. "We find that out and we can find a way to stop them."

He shook his head. "Wrong," he told her. "We find the soldier." He pointed at Nagata. "Did you manage to get a signal?"

"Chopra got through to him briefly, that's the best we got," she offered.

"We find the soldier, we get our answer," the Doctor declared. He wasn't convinced, but it sounded good. "We need to go looking." He headed to the door. "Danielle!"

She made a move to follow but Jack grabbed her arm. "I thought you didn't abide by rude behaviour?" he asked pointedly.

Danni shrugged. "If he's being that rude he must have an idea," she replied. "I can forgive him when he's being clever."

She left Jack behind to jog to the Doctor's side. She helped him move the large canister from in front of the door. "What are you thinking, Spaceman?" she asked. "Is it something to do with Morpheus?"

"I'd bet my collection of Rolling Stones records on it," he said through his grunt as they moved it out of the way. "I think they're generated when the machines are used."

She frowned. "You mean they're like, electronic waste?"

He shook his head. "They're organic," he explained. "They're part of us. Well, part of the users of Morpheus. They're sleep dust."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _So, a little change in episode order, I know. I wanted Jack there for something because... well, cause he's Jack. Who doesn't want Jack around a little longer?_

 _Reviews were lovely, but I'm absolutely exhausted so no replies today. I love them all, I'm glad that you didn't all hate the last chapter, and I hope you all like this one :)_


	22. The Foolish Decision

"Sleep dust?"

The Doctor nodded. He didn't quite understand why people kept repeating him. "Sleep dust."

"You're kidding," Nagata stated in disbelief.

"Well do I look like I'm kidding? Is this a kidding face?" the Doctor snapped back, annoyed. The crew was dead, they were being attack, why was it always this time in their adventures when people wouldn't believe him?

"To be fair, it is hard to tell," Jack joked. Danni pointed her flashlight at him.

"Really?" she asked him. "The crew is most likely dead. Is now the time to be a smartarse?"

Jack held up his hands, knowing that her shortness came from fright and not actual annoyance. Well, he hoped that anyway. For all he knew this Danni didn't like injecting a bit of humour into serious situations.

She shone her light on the Doctor. "It is ridiculous, though," she continued. She'd not been able to get a straight word from the Doctor since they'd left the room looking for Deep-Ando. "Sleep dust?"

"The stuff in the corner of your eye. The stuff you wipe away every morning when you wake up," he confirmed. "Yes, it is ridiculous."

"This is getting us nowhere," Rassmussen said.

"But probably not the strangest thing in the universe," Jack stated. "It's probably not the strangest thing we've come across. How can those things be made of sleep dust?"

"Well, they were made of mucus and cells," Danni reasoned. "That's what sleep dust is made out of, right?" The Doctor nodded again. "But that still doesn't make any sense. Dust I'd understand, but _sleep_ dust? That barely builds up."

"His meddling has evolved it," the Doctor replied, nodding towards an outraged Rassmussen. "Hot-housed it. What used to be sleep in your eye has turned into a carnivorous life form."

"You can't just throw accusations like that around!" Rassmussen exclaimed to deaf ears.

"So, the longer you're in Morpheus, the more the dust builds up?" Jack reasoned.

Rassmussen turned to him. "That's slander!"

"Lying there in those pods," the Doctor replied, "people are a ready-made food source."

Jack fell to a stop. "Danni was in one of those pods," he pointed out. "What? Is she now going to become lunch for some sleep dust monsters?"

"I bloody hope not," Danni retorted. She turned to the Doctor. "I'm not, am I?"

"Of course not," he snapped firmly. "You were barely in there at all. At most there's a toe somewhere with your DNA."

"Is that what happened to the crew, though?" she asked, panicking slightly. She had come too far to be turned into a lumbering monster made of _mucus._ "You said food source."

He shot her a completely serious look. "Digested."

None of their conversation boded well for anyone. Nagata motioned with her rifle. "Come on, we need to find Deep-Ando."

The soldiers carried on, giving the trio no other option but to follow after them. The Doctor's long strides had always been rather hard for Danni to keep up with, even now she was in the tallest body he had met, and she had to jog slightly before walking quicker than normal to keep up with him.

"Tell me you're not lying to make me feel better," she commanded. "If I'm going to be eaten I deserve to know."

"You're not going to be eaten," he replied. "Do you really think I'd keep that from you?"

"I think you'd do anything to stop me panicking knowing how terrified I am at being forced asleep," she countered. "Promise?"

He stopped again, turning to her. Her face held a firm, serious look but her eyes were shining slightly in the emergency lighting. She was scared. "I promise," he said sincerely. "You're not going to be eaten."

"Damn right," Jack spoke up as he continued past the pair to the front of the group, where Nagata was leading them forward. "Your man, Deep-Ando, does he know what he's doing?" Jack asked. "Will he go for cover?"

She didn't reply straight away, her attention on scouting the way ahead rather than his questions. "He should be fine," she replied. "We're underfunded but we're well trained. I'm more concerned about us. We've all used the pods back on Triton."

"Not all of us," Chopra spoke up.

"This isn't a good time to be smug, pet," Nagata scolded.

"Well, my guess is that the ones you're using are pretty primitive compared to what's going on up here," the Doctor guessed. "These are a sort of a Mark Two, yeah?"

"Obviously, I have tried to improve the process," Rassmussen admitted. "Speed things up."

"Yeah, well, you've done that perfectly well," Danni snapped. "So these things are made up of sleep dust. Their—" she pulled a disgusted face. "Their bodies are built of the mucus and skin and… eugh, no, sorry, it's disgusting. They're disgusting." She looked at Rassmussen as she reached into the pocket and pulled out the hand sanitiser again. She couldn't seem to feel clean. "You've made human-eating, pissed off, globs of mucus. Well done."

"It wasn't exactly my aim to…" Rassmussen spoke up, trying to defend himself.

"That's what you did," the Doctor interrupted. "It's adaptable, it's clever." There was a roar from somewhere deep in the ship that reverberated off the metal walls. The soldiers powered up their guns. "And it's coming for us," the Doctor finished.

Rassmussen had, obviously, reached the end of his tether with the entire situation. "Look, you came to rescue the crew. I'm crew!" he exclaimed. " _So rescue me!_ " He turned, looking down the hallway in the direction of the noise.

Jack and Danni shared a look. He did bring up a rather good point. "And how is it that you're the only one left, again?" Jack asked him. "All of the crew have been eaten by things you created. All but you."

Rassmussen turned around, not best pleased at the accusation. "Because I hid," he snapped. "I hid in the only place I thought those monsters wouldn't find me. Look, we've got to get out of here!"

"No," the Doctor replied, much to everyone's surprise. "We can't leave this place until there's not a trace of the dust or your machines left. Or that's it for your lot."

"Our lot?" Nagata repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, the human race," the Doctor replied. The surprised looks were a little confusing. "You didn't realise?"

There was another roar. "Now is not the time to argue about what species everyone is," Danni declared. "We need to keep moving. We're just sitting ducks and…"

There was a loud scream from somewhere far away. The long, drawn out scream of someone who wasn't just terrified, but who was dying. They all seemed to recognise the sound straight away.

"Deep-Ando," Nagata breathed. "We have to find him."

"I think something already has," Jack broke to her gently. "Come on, we need to keep moving."

They started back down the hallway again. Danni was still walking next to her husband where she felt the safest. She had come across some bizarre things in her time, but this really ranked up there. In fact, monsters made of sleep dust came just under the whole 'moon is a giant egg' thing and just above 'talking to your husband when he was a child and finding out you were actually the monster in an adventure' situation she'd found herself in long ago.

"This is so weird," she whispered to him. "Are you sure about the whole 'sleep dust' thing?"

"Positive," he replied, which was enough for her. His gaze was firm as he stared ahead, his eyes searching the shadows for anything of use or anything of danger. If he was worried then she knew that their situation had to be dire. The Doctor would always do everything he could to save everyone, but she knew just how personally he took every death that happened before he could. His body language didn't hold the same glee it would normally when he found something new. His fear was outweighing it.

"Are you still scared?" she asked quietly. He nodded.

"Terrified," he admitted. Not just for her, although that was always at the forefront of his mind. How was he supposed to stop dust monsters? He had no idea what their weaknesses were, what they did when they fell apart, or where they really even came from. Knowing they were made of sleep dust was one thing, but how they slowly came together was quite another.

Danni nodded. She could appreciate that. Walking down dark hallways away from hungry monsters wasn't exactly a pleasant pastime. They both appreciated an adventure, but in the moment when people were dying, it wasn't a walk in the park.

"When I was on the run, when I was scared, I'd hold my gun," she explained, her voice still low. "It made me feel safe when I was in too deep. There were places where I could never be safe, you know? My gun made me feel like I was." The Doctor looked down at her, a little shocked that she was opening up at all about it so willingly, let alone in the darkness of a space station under attack. "Well, it gave me the illusion of safety, anyway."

"It didn't actually help?" he asked. She shrugged.

"It convinced me enough that I could take on whatever was coming," she offered. "I'd hold it tight in my hand, even if I was never going to use it. The weight was comforting. It made me feel like something else was there instead."

"Oh?"

She reached out and took his hand, threading her fingers through his. "The things that made me feel safe weren't there," she continued. "I had to make do with what I had. I still find comfort in the things I put in their place."

He gave her hand a little squeeze. "As long as you reach for the things you'd rather have first, I guess that anything else could be acceptable as well," he conceded.

There was another loud groan that echoed through the halls, although this time it wasn't a monster but rather the walls settling. They all felt the shift underfoot and paused in their trek.

"That didn't feel so hot," Jack stated. "Did the space station move?"

There was another groan and they all stumbled slightly. "Something's gone wrong," the Doctor stated. "All we need." He looked down the hallway, deciding on which door they should enter. There was one up ahead with a window in it that looked just like the door to the lab they had left. "Into the lab," he commanded. "Quickly!"

 _~0~0~0~_

By the time Danni locked the door behind them, the space station was shaking violently. Alarms were going off and people held onto anything remotely sturdy for dear life. The windows looking out showed a rather beautiful view out onto Neptune. Unfortunately, as everything shook and shuddered, it was clear they were moving towards it.

"What's happening?" Jack shouted over the noise.

"Engines!" Nagata replied.

"No! It's the gravity shields!" Chopra corrected. "They're failing!"

Danni held onto one of the benches tightly as she tried to make her way over from the door to the Doctor and Jack, who were deeper in the room. She couldn't help but wish that she'd stayed with them and let the humans lock the door for themselves. She was always getting separated. She needed to be less concerned about the people around her.

"Nagata! That thing, the schematic," the Doctor commanded, trying to fight against shaking to get to Danni. He held out his hand. "Give it to me!"

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Nagata replied.

"Me? I'm in charge."

"You have no authority!" she exclaimed.

"No," the Doctor agreed, "but I'm in charge." Nagata still didn't look willing to hand over the thing on her head that showed her where they were going. "I can bypass the main systems and reboot the grav-shields!"

"Listen to him!" Jack shouted over. "He does actually know what he's talking about!"

Nagata paused a moment longer, wondering what she should do, before realising there really wasn't much of a choice. They were going to go down and crash into the planet if someone didn't do _something_ , so if this was their chance she had to take it. She let go of the bench she'd been holding onto to take her helmet off and they both fell to the floor as she handed it over.

"Are you okay?" Danni called over. She let go of her own anchor and stumbled into the wall. "Because we really don't need any more injuries right now!"

"I'm fine, my Pet," he said back as he turned the helmet over, looking at how it was all connected.

"Doc!" Jack shouted. "You're gonna have to pick up the pace! We're—"

"Don't say it, please don't say it," Rassmussen begged.

"Gonna crash straight into Neptune!" Jack finished. Rassmussen shook his head.

"Oh, Gods! Oh, Gods! Oh, Gods!"

"Hang on!" the Doctor called back. It was simple to see how the projector was connected to the helmet, and where the projector was getting its data from. He just needed to hack in, pretty sharpish, and give the grav-shields a boost.

Danni screamed as the window on the door was smashed open, a large dusty arm coming straight through from the other side. The roaring that accompanied was loud as the Sleep Dust creature was able to throw the door open like it had never been locked in the first place.

She pressed herself into the corner of the room as the creature walked into the room and right up to a cowering Rassmussen, towering over him.

"No, no, please help me!" the man cried as the Doctor fought with the helmet to find where the grav-shield's controls were located. The others fought to try and be of some help, but the force from falling caused even 474 to lose their balance and fall to the floor.

Rassmussen screamed as he was picked up and shoved into the open hole the dust creature had created on what was supposed to be a head.

"Doctor!" Danni shouted from behind him. "What do we do?!"

The Doctor turned his head, watching her behind the creature. She looked terrified, understandably so, and he hurried his work. Just a little longer and the grav-shields would be back online.

"Hold on!" he shouted back. "The G-force is increasing the closer we get to the planet!"

That much was obvious by the way that Danni felt like she was going to be crushed into the wall. Everyone was groaning under the pressure, but she stared in amazement as the creature began to crumble, dust flying off it as if it was stood in the wind.

There were three beeps from the helmet and the G-force began to settle again. "We're back online!" he shouted. "Grav-shields fixed! We're rising!" He scrambled off the floor as Jack motioned for Nagata to run behind him. "Go!"

"Move!" Jack shouted, ushering them all to the back of the room where another door was waiting for them. The G-force has caused the creature to crumble slightly, but now they'd settled again it was resuming its attack. They had to get away from them, and fast. "Now!"

He quickly opened the door, rushing in first. He was hit by the cold immediately but didn't pay it much attention. "Come on!"

"Chopra! 474! Come on!" Nagata cried as her two soldiers ran the opposite direction and out of the door just to get away from the creature.

Danni watched the sleep dust monster quickly rebuild itself in front of her. She had to get around it to get to the door, but with a roar it was fit for fighting. The Doctor stood in the other doorway, looking over with a panicked look. She glanced behind her. That doorway was still open. If she ran away from it, chances were it would follow. But she had more room to run, to hide, and a better chance of surviving for the immediate future.

Across the room was her dad and her husband. The Doctor had frozen, staring at her, almost pleading with her to be safe, to be somehow able to run over to him without being eaten like Rassmussen. But she knew she couldn't do it. She wanted to – of course she wanted to. Nothing made her feel safer than holding the Doctor's hand.

She reached into her pocket, closing her hand around the handle of her gun. She couldn't hold his hand. She _wasn't_ safe. She met the Doctor's wide eyes with her own, hoping that he understood, pleading with him to understand, but she turned and ran out into the hallway.

She had no idea which way 474 and Chopra had gone, but her aim wasn't to find them. She wished 474 all the luck in the world, but her feelings for Chopra were less than amicable and she didn't waste her time trying to follow. She turned left, running away from the way that had come in the first place. Her first aim was to get to somewhere safe, then she would work out a plan from there.

She absolutely hated how her footsteps seemed to echo against the metal even more now she was on her own. She hated how the emergency lighting gave everything an evil red glow that just made everything much sinister. The roar from behind her suggested that, actually, the creature hadn't followed her but had stayed with the Doctor and Jack, which was actually less reassuring than if it had followed her.

Another roar from where she was heading caused her to stop. She pressed herself into one of the metal pillars that joined the walls together, bathing herself in shadows as she thought to catch her breath. She wasn't even sure if there was anything coming towards her, but she didn't want to take that chance without at least some sort of plan in mind.

She closed her eyes for a moment, forcing herself to take a few deep breaths. The best plans were always simple plans. When she had been on the run, her plan had always been to… well… _run_. She never stayed still, she never nested anywhere, she made her noise for the universe to hear and stayed just long enough to know no one was coming for her. Making noise was definitely not something she wanted to do right now, but her main objective was still the same; to get back to the Doctor and to get home.

The Doctor, at that particular moment, was probably the more foolish of the two options, even if that was the option she wanted to take. So, her only real option was to get to the TARDIS. Which was back the way she had come. Through the monsters, past Morpheus and its rather hungry sleep pods. As always, her route home was the most dangerous one, and she really was stupid enough to take it, armed only with her gun, a sonic screwdriver, and a tube of hand sanitiser.

She placed her hand out on the wall, fingers splayed. Sometimes life had just been simpler when she had been trapped in that bedroom. When she was just left alone, at least she was safe and not in the realm of absolutely bonkers monsters.

"Koschei!" she called out. "If—If this is you, I get it. I've done something to piss you off. You can explain that to me later. Fancy opening a door, now?" Nothing happened. "Koschei? Are you there?"

She ran her hand up and down the wall in an arch motion but found nothing but an uneven surface. No door handle, no exit route. "Of course not," she muttered. "This could only be my actual life."

She pulled out her gun, held it at the ready, took one more deep breath then headed back the way she came.

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor watched, helpless, as Danni turned and fled out the door and into the hallway. He would have given anything to follow, but the creature's attention was on him and he knew he had to keep it that way. "Oi, big man!" he shouted and the creature roared again. "Come and get me!"

He slammed the door shut. His hearts were pounding and he was still terrified, but for now at least he had a moment to think. He needed to work out what to do, and quick, so that he could get back out and to his wife.

He leant against the cold door, partly to listen to the thing outside and partly to calm himself down. He had thought, for a moment, she was going to be foolish enough to try and run to him. Then she'd turned out to be foolish enough to run away on her own. He realised that, actually, she really hadn't had any unfoolish options laid out in front of her. She'd done the clever thing and run away, but it didn't make her any safer, it just delayed the danger longer.

It didn't make him feel any more reassured, either, because he now couldn't do anything to help her. No, that wasn't true. He needed to work out what was happening. That was where his strength was. Her strength was surviving. She'd proven that time and time again, she could do it one more time. The way he helped that was to either stop the creatures completely, or hold them off enough to get everyone, including Danielle, as far away as possible.

"Where's Danni?" Jack asked lowly. The Doctor looked over at met the eyes of a worried, angry parent and knew the answer wasn't going to please him. "Where is my daughter?"

Nagata, who was frantically pacing as worried over her own team, looked up at him in surprise. "Hang on a minute. Your daughter?" she asked.

"She ran the other way," the Doctor replied almost dismissively.

"She ran… You left her out there?!" he exclaimed. "With that… that _thing_?"

The Doctor chuckled darkly. "Oh, trust me, that thing is still very much with us," he retorted. "She'll be fine."

Jack walked towards him, ready to throttle him, then walked away to try and stop himself from hurting the Doctor. What was angering him the most was the Danni hadn't even wanted to leave the TARDIS. They'd both coaxed her out, teasing and tempting her and now she was the one on her own, yet again, fighting against a monster in a situation she had expressly not wanted to be in.

Jack wanted someone to blame, though, who wasn't himself. He would never have willingly put Danni in danger, so that meant his anger was going to be shot straight at the Doctor. So, he turned around and strode back over, grabbing the Doctor and shoving him up against the door.

"You just let her run off!" he accused the Time Lord.

The Doctor reached up, using his arms to break Jack's grip on him. "If she had come this way she _would_ have died," the Doctor snapped back. "She's safer out there."

"Safer?" Jack exclaimed. "She's going to get eaten, or worse turned into one of those bloody things and you think she's safe?! _You left her_ …"

The Doctor's eyes flashed. He'd had enough. He took blame when he deserved it, but this was not the time to be pointing fingers.

"Are you lot _always_ going on about how capable she is?" he snapped back. "Always telling her that she's too dependent on me, that _I_ made her too dependent on me? That I don't let her show how she can handle herself? Isn't that what you were telling her when she left me? Do you remember that, Harkness? But it's not so easy on the other side, is it?" He pointed to the door. "She's more than capable of looking after herself. I know she is, she's been doing it since she was thrown back into this universe. I never said she couldn't. All I've done is not want her to do it alone."

He took a deep breath. "I believe in her with everything I have," he told Jack, who was battling with feeling chastised and furious. He just wanted someone to blame, the Doctor understood that. "I believe with both my hearts that she will make it back to the TARDIS, on her own, because I know that she can take on the universe and survive it. She proved it enough times for us to accept it, hasn't she?"

He turned around, away from Jack, ending their little argument because he knew Jack wasn't like his other companions, or like Nagata who was desperately trying to contact her soldiers. Jack was old enough and smart enough to listen to him. His emotions were high, but then again the Doctor didn't feel like he was particularly calm or collected, either. He looked out of the window in the door but saw nothing but darkness.

"Alright, alright," Jack started, still pacing, still trying to get his nerves under control. The Doctor was right. Danni would be fine. They would all be fine. They just needed to keep level heads. His need to take his frustration out on the nearest person wasn't going to get them anywhere. It wasn't going to get them back to Danni. "What do we do?"

The Doctor glanced over his shoulder, taking a quick look around before looking out the window again. "Where are we?"

"Some form of cold storage. Most likely to keep specimens in," Jack replied, taking a look around himself. There was a transparent hanging separating the two areas of the room with what looked like bags hanging from the ceiling behind it. "Although, I think we've made our way into the kitchen."

Nagata looked between the two in disbelief. One minute they were bickering like children over Danni, the next they were assessing the place like they were taking stock. "We need to go after them," she stated firmly. "Chopra and 474 are out there as well."

The Doctor shot her a look. "Don't be ridiculous."

"They're under my command. I owe it to them," she retorted.

"To die?" he countered. "They wouldn't thank you for that." He turned back to the window, looking out. It was why he wasn't chasing after Danni right now. Dying before he could save them wasn't smart, nor a gracious thing to do. He didn't want to die needlessly. She might have been scared, but she was alive and he intended on keeping as many people that way as he could. Including himself.

All of this because some human thought it was going to be more profitable to keep people awake. " _Glamis hath murdered sleep, therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more_ ," he recited to himself.

"What?" Nagata snapped.

"Shakespeare," Jack replied. "Macbeth, I think." The Doctor nodded. "Danni really likes him. I never saw the appeal, myself."

"He really knew his stuff," the Doctor defended. "They all did. The Ancients. The poets. All those sad songs. All those lullabies." He shook his head. That was his sentimentality getting to him again. "Sleep is essential to every sentient being in the universe. But to humans." He looked at them both disdainfully. "Greedy, filthy, stupid humans—" Jack rolled his eyes. Rose had warned him all those years ago that he liked to insult species when he was stressed. He'd laughed at the time. Now he was just used to it. "-It's an inconvenience to be bartered away. Well, now we know the truth. Sleep isn't just a function. It's blessed. Every night we dive deep into that inky pool, deep into the arms of Morpheus. Every morning, we wake up and wipe the sleep from our eyes, and that keeps us safe. Safe from the monsters inside."

"Yes, very poetic," Jack drawled. "That still doesn't help us now, does it? We're trapped in here and they're all out there waiting to eat us. Got any plans, Doc, cause we're sitting ducks here."

There was a thud behind them and both the Jack and Nagata spun around, guns at the ready. However, there was nothing there and they both slowly lowered them once again.

"Let's work with what we've got," the Doctor declared, pulling out his sunglasses. "Let's work from the start."

 _~0~0~0~_

"You know, I used to think you were quite clever," Danni muttered to herself as she headed back down the hallway. She'd gone past where the Doctor and Jack were hidden and could hear the distant roars of the creatures somewhere deep in the room. "I used to think that, apart from some questionable life choices, you could have been bloody brilliant."

She was keeping an eye out for anything she could recognise. A wall hanging, a logo, a pill of dust that she _really_ hoped was just bad housekeeping. There were signs of their footprints in some of the dust on the floor. She wasn't sure if she owned enough sanitiser to ever be clean again.

"Once upon a time, some might have even said you had potential for something great," she continued once she felt safe to. "Some would have heralded you as a saviour. Now look at you. Walking through the dark to hide in a spaceship."

Her gun was held tightly in her hand, aimed perfectly as she had learnt over the last few years. Jack had offered to show her once or twice before she was taken. There had been times she'd wished she'd been smart enough to take him up on that offer. She'd learnt, though, and she was quite an adept shooter.

"For example, speaking out loud really isn't the best idea when you're trying to be quiet," she muttered to herself. "Especially about how stupid you are. Honestly, you have to wonder how you've survived this long."

She paused, listening, trying to see if she could hear anything coming her way. Her hearts pounded heavily and, once again, she was incredibly tempted to turn and try and make her way through the monsters and to her husband. She still would rather have died with him than on her own.

"' _Well, my Pet, we know who's fault that is_ '," she continued, putting on an exaggerated Scottish accent as she started to walk again. She was pretty sure there was a left turn coming up that would take her back to the lab she'd been put to sleep in. "' _It's that silly old Doctor._ '"

She lowered her voice. "The Doctor didn't make me stupid. I didn't make me stupid. I've just always been stupid. You can't blame that on him as well."

"' _Well, I can't go around having a stupid pet, can I?_ '" she asked herself, once again mocking the woman who she was having a fake conversation with. She turned the left corner and pretended that she recognised where she was going, instead of admitting all the hallways looked the same. " _'I'm going to train the stupid out of you._ '"

Danni stopped again, looking up at the ceiling. "Well, look how _that_ turned out!" she crowed smugly. "You have a hundred years and I'm _still_ an idiot!"

She shook her head to herself. "This is what the email was for, remember? Don't tell the universe, tell Gmail."

There was some, rather twisted, part of her that was proud of how she'd managed to say such an idiot in the face of Missy trying to change her. It was if she had managed to keep hold of a personality that had been deemed 'incorrect' by the woman who had taken it upon herself to change her.

Of course, that was all a load of crap. The old Danni, the one Missy had taken and even the hidden regeneration after it, would have gone after the Doctor, monsters be damned. She would have slid under its legs or taken the long way around the room to get to her husband. She would have always taken the more dangerous path if it had meant that they could face the danger together. The 'new' Danni wasn't like that. She thought more, she tried to be less emotional, and she was infinitely less trusting of everyone around her.

She had reason for that, though. At least that was something she could trace back to a definite cause.

She heard the rumbling before she saw the creature. She paused in her tracks, gun raised, aiming directly at its head as it came into view. "You-You stay right there, got it?" she warned. "Otherwise you and me are going to have a problem, and you don't want that, do you sweetie?"

The creature roared loudly, speeding up and she turned and starting running back the way she came. "Always flirting with the wrong people, Fielding," she scolded herself. "First Time Lords, now dust monsters. That's how you get yourself into these messes!"

 _~0~0~0~_

"Sorry, Doc, I've got to ask; what's with the sunglasses?"

The Doctor held Nagata's helmet in one hand whilst he pressed his finger against the button at the hinge on the glasses. "What's wrong with them?" he asked.

"I just remember how defensive you got over the screwdriver," Jack replied. "And how objectively against any remotely fashionable you are."

The Doctor lifted his head, raising his sunglasses up to look at Jack. "The sunglasses are cool," he retorted. "I think so, Danni thinks so, Nagata thinks so—"

"Um…" Nagata started.

"-Looks like you're in the minority here," the Doctor continued. "Plus, they're hands free. Much more useful. Look."

He dropped the glasses back down onto his nose before facing the wall. A quick buzz of the sunglasses and a projection of himself, Danni and Jack appeared. There was no sound, but none of them were looking in the direction of the camera. Jack recognised it as when they had first come across the soldiers. None of the trio were looking in the right direction, but he knew he'd noticed them by that point.

"What are you doing?" Nagata asked.

"I've hacked into your helmet cams," the Doctor explained.

The woman looked confused. "What?"

"Reviewing the footage." He buzzed his sunglasses again and it changed to when they had been fighting against the failing grav-shields. "There's something not right here."

"We don't have helmet cams."

The Doctor didn't notice what she said, but Jack did. As the Doctor continued to watch the footage of the dust creature devour Rassmussen, Jack turned to her.

"You don't have helmet cams?" he repeated. She shook her head. "I thought that was standard practice."

"Cuts, pet," she reminded him. "We're lucky to have guns."

"Then where's the footage from?" Jack looked to the Doctor, who still wasn't paying attention to them. He watched the creature gobble up Rassmussen, but kept an eye on his wife behind them. She didn't have a hope of getting past the creature. She had done to right thing by running away. "Doc?"

"Why did it kill Rassmussen like that?" he asked in reply.

"They kill people. That's what monsters do," Jack snapped. "What about the footage?"

The Doctor removed his glasses, ending the replay of events. "But that's a direct attack. That's not how they operate. Dust grows. Consumes the host."

Jack knew how the Doctor's mind worked. He knew that if he was focused on something then there was a good chance it was important. Danni was much the same, and he'd found that his own instinct had only improved on that front over time. The problem was that the focusing could stop him seeing something vitally important in that moment.

"So? Maybe this is their next step? Or maybe they were just really hungry and focused on the skinny, weak, easy-to-catch member of the herd. Doc…"

"Maybe. There's something going on here. Something we're not getting."

Jack just stared for a moment before nodding. "You're right, there is something you're not getting," he agreed. The Doctor's brows furrowed as he finally started listening to the ex-Time Agent. He motioned to Nagata. "Tell him."

Nagata just looked confused. She'd only signed up to be in the army. This seemed beyond her paygrade. "Tell him what?"

"What you just said," Jack prompted. She was still confused for a moment before she turned back to the Doctor.

"I said we don't have helmet cams," she repeated.

Jack looked at the Doctor. "Then where did that footage come from?" he asked. "Because that was definitely from her perspective."

The Doctor looked taken aback by the information, almost horrified, which Jack felt was finally an appropriate reaction to that piece of information. He turned to Jack, the cogs in his head turning, before his brows furrowed and he leant in a little closer. "Woah, Doc, wrong Harkness," Jack told him, leaning backwards.

The Doctor didn't quite understand his words, but he moved back anyway. It was quite striking how much Danni did now look like her father. He knew that regenerations could be influenced by the experiences of the ones before it. However, he was more concerned at that moment by Jack's observation.

It was as if the footage had not only been from Nagata's perspective, but from her eyelevel. It didn't make any sense. None of this made any sense.

They all jumped as the banging on the wall intensified, and Jack turned to the Doctor. "We've got to decide a plan," he said. "We can't stay in here, we're gonna freeze. We need to let them in."

The Doctor almost demanded to know what he was talking about, before his eyes lit up in comprehension. "We need to let them in," he agreed.

"What?" Nagata asked.

The Doctor turned to her. "We let them in." He began nudging the woman towards the hanging bags at the back of the room. "If we stay, we freeze and we definitely die. If we let them in we might be able to get past them and we only _might_ die. There's no other option."

He moved over to one of the other bags. "Get in the bag," he instructed them both. They quickly followed his lead, proving that he was very much in charge. With a buzz of his sunglasses, the door opened and the trio watched as the creatures stumbled in, all limbs and loud noises.

The Doctor watched, silently studying them as he hoped that Danni was having a better time than they were.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Sorry about the missed week, and that this one isn't particularly fantastic. I hope you liked Danni's little moment to herself, though :)_

 _I also hope notifications are working again because I've been told they haven't been lately._

 _Reviews :)_

 _ **Quinnmarie** \- I'm glad too. She's going to be making a bit more of an effort, but I'm sure she'll keep a lot to herself for a while. You're not missing much by not remembering the episode. It's one of my least favourites but fit better at this point in the story than in its actual place in the episode run :)_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Same, the episode had so much potential and was a bit rubbish. I'm just using it for more Jack, because he is the best XD_

 _ **Ruby** **Slippers** \- Thanks :)_

 _ **bored411** \- I do like Jack and Danni a lot. I wish I could work it in more XD_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie!_

 _ **Michael Thomas1** \- Thanks for reading! I'm sure that it's crossed everyone's mind at some point, but Danni would never willingly go after Missy. I'm sure Jack would like a round or two with her if he got the chance, though XD_


	23. The Sandmen

Danni was not having a good time.

She ducked down behind a fallen beam from the ceiling, panting heavily. The flames burning down the hallway had really done a number on her, singeing the ends of her hair and leaving black soot all over her clothes. She looked like a chimney sweep. All she was missing was a flat cap.

She'd had the choice to run through the fire and debris left behind from the grav-shield failure or stay behind and get eaten. Ultimately it had been an easy choice but she was sure that she was further away from the TARDIS than she had been before.

She pulled out her screwdriver, giving it a quick buzz to find the correct direction for the TARDIS. Of course, it was back the way she came. That wasn't going to work and she smacked the screwdriver against her hand a couple of times as punishment for it not giving the results she wanted.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she muttered. "If I'd not run away this wouldn't be an issue. Stop bloody bragging." She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall. Running around without a plan wasn't great. She can't have already been losing her ability to look after herself. She'd really not been home long.

The way to the TARDIS was out of bounds for the time being. She could either wait it out, with the potential of being found and eaten, or she could carry on and try and find somewhere else to go and hope the Doctor didn't leave her behind.

"Come on, Fielding; think!" she snapped. "You're in a space station. What do space stations have?"

She banged her head against the metal. "Think, think, think!" she repeated angrily. "You've seen labs. There's no staff, but there had to be scientists. Scientists wouldn't have cooked, or cleaned, or done repairs. There had to be a captain, and a crew. There had to be a control room. There had to be a main communications system _somewhere_."

She raised the screwdriver again, using it to scan for any kind of communications. Luckily she picked up something in the direction that wasn't blocked off by flames. It wasn't much of a plan – she wasn't sure what, exactly, she was picking up – but she couldn't sit still for long. She needed to keep moving so that she wasn't trapped. If she got to the control room she could wait for the Doctor.

She really wasn't keen on waiting around for him again. She would have preferred to be proactive, but it _was_ a skill she was rather proficient in. She'd get to the control room and wait for the Doctor.

She stood up, putting her screwdriver away before pulling her gun out again. He was in the same space as her this time, at the very least. And this time she knew he wasn't going to give up on her and go off to die.

Her hand clenched around the handle of her gun as a familiar wave of anger rushed over her. As she headed off from her hiding spot, her mind wandered back to the Doctor and what he'd done. When she'd landed on Skaro she had thought he'd managed to get himself stuck, but finding out he'd gone there to die… She shook her head.

There was a time and a place for that conversation. It was not now.

She looked up at the ceiling, trying to spot the cameras that would be capturing her every move. She couldn't see them but she knew they had to be there. She wasn't sure if it was them or her constant paranoia, but she could still feel someone watching her.

 _~0~0~0~_

The creatures couldn't see. The Doctor watched them wander around the cold store, smashing against this, trying to make their way with no sort of direction and it became instantly obvious to him. Well, that and the fact he wasn't sure he could even see eyes on their faces. Not that eyes meant that a being could see, or that lack of eyes meant they couldn't, but it was usually a good indicated.

With some silent gestures he got Jack and Nagata to leave their own hanging bags, and with a lot of noise he got them running out of the cold store and into the hallway. He needed to get to the engine room, which according to the schematics wasn't too far from where they were. They seemed to be getting further into the bowls of the station the more they ran.

His mind was still going over and over the fact that Nagata said they didn't have helmet cams. He had been positive that he'd hacked the video from her helmet, but if he hadn't, where had they come from?

He glanced over his shoulder at Jack and Nagata, who were following him like good little soldiers. He hated being followed, especially by soldiers. He didn't want to be in command of anything. He just wanted to travel with his wife, see new and exciting places, then go home and play the guitar. Was that too much to ask in his old age?

He was glad Danni wasn't around for that thought. She always teased him for pulling the 'old man card' as she put it.

He felt ridiculously old when he worked it out. Had he been younger, perhaps wearing tweed and waving his arms about like an idiot, he would have spotted it straight away. The footage was exactly where he was supposed to be looking. He just wasn't looking in the right place.

"Do you remember what Danielle said?" he asked Jack. "About how she felt like she was being watched?"

Jack's brows furrowed. "You mean by Missy?" he asked. The Doctor shot him a look.

"No, when you were flirting your way to the front of the group," the Doctor corrected. "She said she felt like she was being watched. She always does, but this was different. It was the monitor. Or, what I thought was the monitor."

The engine room seemed pretty safe, with no sign of any of the monsters they had been running from, so the Doctor took them to a corner. He found a perch for his sonic sunglasses and used it to balance them on as he projected the video onto the wall.

"There is a feed. Wireless," he explained to the pair. "These images are being stored by someone. Collated."

"So the ships recording everything we do," Jack replied. "That's not strange. That's just a security system."

"No, it's not," the Doctor agreed. "But that's not what's happening here. Look at the footage. Both of you, look."

The footage was flicking through clips, like a highlight reel of best bits of the adventure. Going from black and white, to colour, and back again. Nothing, though, seemed out of the ordinary until the footage from the cold storage. Jack frowned as he and the Doctor seemed to be having a heated discussion in front of the camera. "Where's the recorded from?" he asked.

The Doctor pointed at him. "That's it exactly," he replied. "Where indeed? There's no cameras here. No CCTV. No helmet cams." The images continued to change, flicking through different rooms, from different perspectives. "So, how and why does this footage even exist?" Jack didn't have an answer and told him as such. "The dust has been watching us. Each little organic speck, just a tiny spy drifting through the air. The monsters have been with us all along. That's why the Sandmen are blind. Their visual receptors are being hijacked. But by whom, and why? And then, there's this."

The flickering stopped on a picture of the Doctor, looking towards the camera. He was stood in front of footage of him looking towards the camera, like someone looking into a mirror with another mirror over their shoulder.

"That's now," Jack commented, before following the Doctor's eyeline. He was staring straight at Nagata. Jack reached forward whilst watching the footage. His hand appeared on the wall as he moved it into Nagata's eyeline. He wiggled his fingers and so did the hand on the live feed. "It's Nagata," he commented, surprised.

"That's Morpheus," the Doctor corrected, moving it over. "Which means…" He pressed a finger to his sunglasses and the image changed. This time it was in a hallway, once again from a first-person perspective. They held a gun in front of them as they looked down the hallway.

"That's Danni! She's alive!" Jack cried and the Doctor nodded. She was alive, just like he'd both hoped and believed her to be. However, his relief dissipated incredibly quickly as he saw that she was staring down a couple of the creatures.

"Where is she?" Jack asked, panicking slightly as he looked at the Doctor. The Time Lord shook his head, unable to answer. He couldn't tear his eyes off her. "We need to find her!"

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni couldn't move any further away. Her back was pressed against the wall at the back of the room. She actually, though, felt rather calm. The approaching monsters, instead of just frightening her almost to death, actually gave her a very distinct sense of what was about to happen. There was no way for her to run, there was no way of getting past them.

She'd managed to get through several laboratories, a few conference room and the laundry room without actually finding where the main control room. She'd been chased, then safe, then changed again only to be cornered in the snack room. There were two vending machines were on either side of her, kindly making her feel even more trapped.

But, then again, she still felt very calm. The creatures had broken the door down and they'd taken a moment to fight amongst themselves to get in. Their long limbs were really off-putting, and every time she looked at them she remembered what they were made of. It made her feel incredibly gross.

There had been a time in her life when she would have cowered and hidden, waiting for the Doctor to save her. There had been another time in her life where she would have been reckless and probably would have been eaten pretty much instantly. Luckily she had grown since she'd first started travelling with the Doctor. She knew how to prepare. And she knew how to get out of situations that may have resulted in her death.

"Alright, guys, you have two choices," she told them both. "You can either keep coming at you while I'm holding my handy dandy gun. Or, you can turn around and leave, and none of us have to die. What do you say?"

The roars that the creatures let out, moving closer to her, moving faster now that they'd found their next meal, suggested that they weren't on the same page as her. Danni sighed. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

The choice that she had was a tough one. On one hand, her gun gave her a long-term security that she really could have used going forward. However, the powerpack from it was perfect to the small electronic device she'd managed to chuck together whilst waiting to be found. She was sandwiched between two vending machines, but she'd ripped the back off the third and pulled out its innards. All she'd had to do was attach the guns power pack and she had a pretty primitive trap set up.

She flipped her gun upside down, pulling the powerpack out of the handle. She ran towards the creatures only to push it against two loose wires. The creatures, who had been stood on some wire, were thrown back and out of the door from the resulting electrical explosion.

She grinned, picking up the drained powerpack. "That's how you do it, Theta," she bragged. "Get in, blow them up, get out again." She was quick out of the door, stepping through all of the dust that littered the floor.

 _~0~0~0~_

Jack cheered as the creatures were blown back from his daughter, and even the Doctor couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. "That's my girl!" the father boasted proudly.

"She built a trap," the Doctor commented, ecstatic that Danni had managed to survive being cornered. He had so many questions about how she suddenly knew how to build a trap, but now he knew she was safe for the time being, he knew that the best thing he could do was work out what was happening and find her.

He moved over to his sunglasses, picking them up and ending the transmission. He knew he could drop in if he needed to, now that he knew how Morpheus had altered his wife, but he really didn't want to keep spying on her without her permission.

"We need to get off this space station," he told both Jack and Nagata. "We'll sort Danni, you Nagata, and everyone back on Triton. And then we will destroy Morpheus forever."

Jack nodded once in agreement. "We can't let this spread," he concurred. "Do you know what I've noticed?"

"Do tell," the Doctor replied.

"That the engines are still going," Jack replied. "That they emergency lighting is on. There is just enough power to keep the station in orbit but no obvious signs of decay until the grav-shields went down."

The Doctor had noticed that as well. "Thoughts?"

"The grav-shields didn't fail, they were deliberately powered down," Jack reasoned. "Something, or someone, is syphoning the power."

"The sleep dust creatures?" Nagata asked, sounding slightly sceptical. Jack was actually rather impressed by how she wasn't completely freaking out. He expected Danni not to take being hacked into well once they met up again.

"That's not their style is it?" the Doctor pointed out. He looked around the engine room, trying to spot what was wrong, what wasn't sitting right in his head. Danielle had always been good at that. She'd focus in on something that seemed out of place, even if she wasn't sure why it was bugging her. It came from years of solving mysteries. He tended to see the bigger picture, she found the details. Like the writing on the monitors in the wall, or the wires that were hanging unplugged from one of the main breakers.

Ah.

He reached down, picking them up. They weren't disconnected from the input, but there was also nothing around them that was missing power. Whatever had been plugged in had long since moved. "It's like, it's like something's been kept here, near the engines, where it's hot. Like something's being kept alive."

"Well, you said someone's watching, collating images," Nagata pointed out.

"Yeah."

"But everyone else is dead," Jack pointed out. "And the creatures are hungry, but they're evolving. They're not that clever yet." Again, the Doctor agreed. "So who is it? Who are we missing?"

Unfortunately all the pieces were starting to come together, and there was only one solution that made any sense. "I have an idea who. A very nasty idea."

 _~0~0~0~_

The fact that Rassmussen was alive didn't really surprise Jack. He had seemed a little like a weasel when they had first met him, so seeing that he was trying to escape without everyone else wasn't exactly out of left field. So, of course, him working for the creatures that he'd created was just a natural progression of that. He had to admit that he hadn't seen it coming, but then again he of all people should have known that death could be quite temporary.

He'd been on the rescue ship, watching them all, creating an alibi, a little show reel to show the people back on Triton so that he would be believed. When he'd stepped out of the wall where he'd been hiding, he didn't seem particularly remorseful, just more worried that he'd been caught.

"You can't fight them Doctor," he declared. "There's no point. They're the future. A new life form. A better life form. That's very clear to me now. They've made me understand." He walked out of his little hiding hole. "And we're to be their food, and that's only correct. I just needed to find a way to get them off this station, and back to Triton. And then, they'll spread. Spread everywhere."

"And that's what you want, is it?" Jack asked. "To let them win? To let them wipe out everyone down below!"

"Things have been made very clear to me!" Rassmussen exclaimed. If Jack didn't know better, or if in fact he had cared at all, he would say that Rassmussen was trying to convince himself rather than the rest of them. Either way, neither he nor Nagata lowered their guns.

"But we saw you die," Nagata pointed out. "The creature swallowed you…"

The Doctor stepped forward, interrupting her. "I think the Professor has been playing a long game." Am I right?"

"They speak to me in my mind," Rassmussen explained softly. "Trust me, I think. But they're like children. Babies. So new. Evolving. Hungry. Always so hungry. I made them understand. We had to find a way out. And then there'd be new food sources. Unlimited. So, they spared me. And we waited."

The Doctor had to pause to calm himself down. The cowardice made his skin crawl. The man was prepared to commit genocide of this own species just so that he could survive. At least when he had gone to do it all those years ago – no matter how it had actually played out – he hadn't been trying to save his own hide. This man was allowing the spread of a disease of his own making to spread across the universe just for a few more days on his own life. And, in the process, he'd hacked into his wife's head.

His lips pulled into a snarl. "You and your cargo."

Jack frowned. "Cargo?" he repeated as Rassmussen nodded.

"I got it in here while you were all distracted," the man explained as he walked to the back of the room. He opened another door, revealing another room that was completely empty apart from one Morpheus pod.

"You were going to take that down to the surface?" Jack asked. "To smuggle one of your dust creatures down to eat anyone who doesn't agree to your ridiculous plan?"

They all slowly approached with caution, the Doctor running his hand over the top of the pod. The whole plan was so diabolical the Doctor was, on some dark level, a little impressed. So much work had gone into weaving the perfect story to get the dust down to eat their victims and he was amazed that it has been Rassmussen to set it all in motion.

"It's like smuggling a jam jar full of germs through customs," he commented lowly. They couldn't let it come to that.

"No. No, more than that," Rassmussen corrected. The Doctor frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been working on Morpheus for a very long time, Doctor. I had to start somewhere. Morpheus's first client. Patient Zero." He walked a little closer but, even now, he was reluctant to touch the pod. Somewhere inside his tiny mind he was smart enough to still be terrified. "The ultimate Wide-Awake. Inside there is a man who hasn't slept in five years."

"There can't be anything left of him," Jack said, looking to the Doctor for confirmation.

"He's the well-spring," Rassmussen explained. "Once we get to Triton, he will spread his spores."

"Spores?" Jack repeated. "So it's evolved past the chemical change in the brain and has changed the whole body?"

"It's always evolving," Rassmussen replied. "Evolving new ways to infect, to flourish. Whole moons, whole planets, whole civilisations. They'll spread everywhere."

Jack saw red, storming forward to Rassmussen. With his fist pulled back, he punched the man in the side of the face, sending him into the wall. "You did that to my daughter!" he shouted as the man staggered, slightly dazed. "You son of a bitch!"

He punched him again, cracking the man's large glasses. Nagata, not lowering her gun, looked up at the Doctor. "Should we stop him?" she asked.

The Doctor shrugged. "Well, it was going to be one of us," he commented lightly, watching with a small amount of amusement. " _Captain_."

Jack growled but backed off, glaring heavily at Rassmussen. Once he was a safe distance away the Doctor address Rassmussen himself. "You know I can't allow that."

"You can't stop them," Rassmussen stuttered out, straightening himself out. "None of us can."

"I wouldn't bet on that, pet," Nagata replied. She walked up towards him, her weapon pointed straight at the man's head. He held his hands up for a moment, pretending to surrender, before pressing something on his lapel. The Morpheus pod slid open with a roar from the creature inside.

Nagata turned her attention to the creature, shooting at it. Jack joined in with his own gun, but nothing seemed to damage it. "Doc!"

Rassmussen took his chance, running out of the room and closing the door behind him. The Doctor looked around, looking for something he could use to his advantage. The was nothing in the room, nothing he could use as the shots from both weapons did no damage to the sleep dust monster.

He started patting himself down. What did he have on him. His sunglasses were fabulous and incredibly useful, especially for opening the door again so he pulled them out and popped them on ready. The bag of jelly babies would be saved until later, and he wasn't sure why he had a stuffed elephant but it wasn't going to be much use in this particular situation. Still, he kept it in his pocket; you never know what that could come in handy.

What would be useful, though, was the small disc he had taken from the Morpheus pod when they'd freed Rassmussen in the first place. He grinned. "When I say 'run', run."

Jack glanced behind him as the Doctor placed the disc down on top of the pod. "What are you doing?"

"Distracting," the Doctor said in explanation. "When I say…" He stood up a little straighter. "Hey, Sandy!" He activated the disc with a buzz of his sunglasses and the four women began to sing 'Mr Sandman' again. With a roar the creatures turned towards the pod, heading to the loud noise. " _RUN!"_

The three darted out into the door, which Jack quickly opened with a push of a button. He closed them as well, trapping the creatures inside and Rassmussen outside with them.

" _You!"_ he snarled, storming over to the man and pulling him away from the controls on the wall. "Turn off the engines. Shut this ship down!"

He chucked him back against the controls, knocking the wind out of him. It felt rather good. "I can't do that, I'm afraid," Rassmussen wheezed out. "We can't fight the inevitable. Humanity's day is done."

"Yeah?" Nagata retorted. "Well, Humanity might have something to say about that, pet."

With one shot she killed Rassmussen, who fell back into a chair, dead. The Doctor closed his eyes, wincing slightly. He really had hoped to avoid more deaths. Then again, the man had created a machine that had tried to convert his wife into a Sleep Dust monster. It was hard to be too upset.

"Sandy?"

The Doctor looked to Jack. "Sorry?"

"You called the monster 'Sandy'," Jack said. "Any reason?"

"Well, the song, you know?" he replied. "Mr Sandman. Sleep Dust monsters. Sandmen?" Jack just stared blankly. "Danielle would have gotten it," he grumbled.

"Of course," Jack muttered, walking over to where Rassmussen was slumped over the chair. He also wasn't too upset at the death of the man. He quickly scanned the ship. "There she is," he declared, pointing to another dot on the map of the space station. "Almost on the other end of the station. She must have run the opposite direction to us."

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni threw her hands up in the air in triumph as she opened the door on the control room. It was easy to tell that she was in the right spot considering the mass of panels and controls that were across one wall, just underneath a large window that looked out onto the moon below them.

She quickly turned around and soniced the door shut just in case she was joined by some of the creepy sleep dust monsters. Hopefully it would keep them out long enough for her to be rescued because her gun was completely out of charge.

"Once again showing everyone how it is done," she crowed to herself. "Honestly, universe, I'm so winning this game."

She walked over to the consoles, taking a quick look over everything on offer to her. It became immediately apparent that she really had no idea what most of the buttons and levers did. She could take guesses, but a manual really would have been handy.

Not that she'd tell the Doctor that.

"Microphone, microphone," she repeated to herself under her breath as she moved from one end of the console to the other. She found a small headset and popped it on. It wasn't plugged into anything, but that was the future for you; everything was wireless.

She looked over where she'd found the headset before she began randomly pressing buttons. A couple of lights turned on, a couple more turned off, and then there was a loud squealing in her ear. She chucked the headset off at the feedback and pressed the same button, along with a couple more, to make the noise go away.

"Son of a bitch," she grumbled, picking the headset up again. That was the sign of budget cuts. She'd been on enough space stations to know good quality equipment from the bargain versions. She gingerly held the headset back up to her ear, just in case it wanted to scream her brains out again. Luckily it didn't so she put it back on.

She was hesitant to say anything into it, but she really needed to let the Doctor know where she was. "Hello?"

She heard her voice in the hallway outside, muffled by the locked door and had to assume she'd managed to break into the communications around the ship. She nodded with a smug grin to herself; first time.

"Doctor? Are you there? Come in Spaceman."

There was no answer so she began pressing a couple more buttons. "Spaceman, are you there?" she asked again. "I'm not sure how to…" She jumped slightly as the wall to her right slid open and revealed some monitors. "That is definitely useful," she said. She walked over and scanned, looking for her husband. "Spaceman, I have no idea where you are," she told him. "These cameras are quite extensive, though. Maybe get in front of one…" She trailed off as she saw the Doctor and Jack looking around the room, talking frantically even though she couldn't hear them. "There you are!" she cried. "I'm in the control room! You'll have to come get me." The two men stopped talking, looking upwards. "Pretty soon would be nice."

The two men shared a look and the camera moved between them. She frowned; that was a weird thing for it to do.

It focused back onto the Doctor, who seemed to look a little closer into the lens. In fact, the lens was actually quite close to them already. They must have found a camera. He looked incredibly serious, then grinned widely, shooting her a thumb's up.

That would have normally given her some form of comfort. Seeing him confident that he was coming would have, usually, helped her relax and she could have focused on the inevitable wait that was going to come next. But, he would save her. He was always going to save her.

Now, though, she knew better. There was a niggle of doubt… Well, more than a niggle. It made her shift from foot to foot, chewing on her lip as she scanned the rest of the monitors. She hoped the Doctor would get there in time, that he would make it before she had to run and hide again. She wanted to wait, but she knew from experience, ultimately, she had to save herself. No one was coming.

 _~0~0~0~_

This didn't make any sense.

The Doctor didn't understand why the whole adventure was playing like a story. The monster with one definite weakness, the peril of the space station almost crashing into Triton. A husband and wife separated on opposite ends of the ship, using unconventional means to make sure that the other knew they were fine. A good guy who turned out to be the bad guy. It read like some overrated, underwhelming Hollywood blockbuster and no one seemed to care but him.

But, as no one did seem to care and they had more pressing matters to attend to, the Doctor led them to the TARDIS in the storage area as the creatures seem to group together to stop their prey from escaping. Once again highlighting how much like a story this whole thing was.

"We have to get to Triton, destroy all the Morpheus machines. End this," he told the pair as he opened the door into the storage area. Much like everyone who had ever travelled on the TARDIS, he felt a little bit safer, a little bit less tense at the sight of his magnificent blue box of a home.

Nagata, on the other hand, was less than impressed. "This is how we get home?"

"Wait until you see inside," Jack told her with a grin. "She's so much better than what she appears."

They all took a few steps towards the TARDIS, only for more and more Sandmen to appear from the shadows, completely blocking off their way home. Behind them more of the creatures entered, effectively trapping them in the centre of the room.

Jack aimed his gun. "Think fast, Doc!"

"Stop calling me that!" the Doctor protested before grabbing Nagata by the arms. She exclaimed in surprise as he turned her around and marched her to a wall. Jack began shooting, but it was obvious he wasn't doing much of anything at all.

The Doctor pressed a button on Nagata's helmet, bringing up the schematic of the station again. He knew of only one way to stop the creatures enough to get them into the TARDIS. The big crescendo at the end of the movie.

He quickly changed the schematic to the controls of the station, tapping against the wall like it was a touch screen. It only took a few little taps and the work was complete. He backed away, letting the projection turn itself off.

"What did you just do?" Nagata asked.

"Self-destructed the grav-shields," the Doctor replied, his voice serious.

"Oh, great!" Jack exclaimed. "Hold on!"

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni stared at the controls, eyes wide and panicking as a hundred different lights began flashing erratically and an alarm began sounding above her.

"What? No, no, no, don't do that!" she exclaimed. She hadn't touched anything, she had just been pacing, planning, plotting. She'd already mentally taken one of the consoles apart to scavenge for parts should she need it. The Doctor didn't have long left to come get her before she'd have to venture out on her own. She needed to be prepared.

She screamed as the space station suddenly tilted, like it had done when the grav-shields had switched off. She tumbled into the console that had been warning her that it was going to happen again. The alarm just felt obnoxious now and did not make her feel better as she cracked her face against the metal top, biting her own lip.

"Oh, for…" she growled, cutting off her own swearing as she fought against the forces pulling the station down to the moon below, slowly standing. She used the console as support as she glared at the ceiling.

"Don't you dare," she warned a Time Lord who wasn't there. "One word, Koschei, and I'm leaving!"

She groaned as she turned around, looking at all the flashing lights and buttons, trying to map out just what was going on and how she could try and avoid the disaster that would befall everyone below if the station didn't sort itself out.

"I'm not going through this again," she growled to herself, randomly pressing buttons. "I'm not watching another city burn!"

She smashed her hand down on the console before pulling out her screwdriver. Every move felt like it took at least twice the effort. She pointed it at the console, setting it off. "Come _on_ ," she snarled.

More lights started going off. She definitely hadn't made anything better.

The sound of the TARDIS materialising in the room made her want to cry. Instead she just swore happily, turning around. She was obviously struggling to land in the falling space station, but Danni really didn't care. She fought to stumble towards what was one of her best friends and the door opened. Jack appeared, reaching out to her.

She grabbed his arm and let her pull her into the beautiful time machine. The door shut behind them and the Doctor quickly flew them off. The force caused her and Jack to fall to the ground.

"Nice to see you too, Danni-Girl," Jack groaned.

Danni rolled her eyes, climbing off him. "Stop perving on me," she scolded. "I told you; I'm married, you're too late."

Nagata, who was still in awe about everything around her, turned to Danni with a frown. "I thought he was your father?" she asked.

"He is," the Doctor grumbled, turning around to see the flirting pair. Even now it frustrated him greatly. "You're bleeding."

Danni reached up to her lips, wiping a little of the blood away. "Bit my lip," she replied with a shrug. "It's just a cut."

The Doctor walked over, attack eyebrows furrowed, gaze so stern that it actually surprised Danni. "Not that," he told her, grabbing her arm. She looked at it and saw a couple of tiny scratches that he examined closely. She hadn't even noticed them. "That will be from the bomb you made," he told her. "It was very clever. You have to be more careful."

"It was…" she started before trailing off. All of a sudden she was overcome with that deep dread that she always felt when she realised she'd been asleep. The feeling that, somewhere, Missy was watching her and everything she had believed fell away into a lie. "It was when I was on my own," she declared, pulling her arm off him. "How did you know that?"

Her gaze was accusatory, a look both he and Jack understood. "You've been hacked," the Doctor explained gently. "I can fix it. The Morpheus pod converted your optic nerves into cameras. I'll just reverse it." He turned, heading back to the console. He wanted to clean her up and reassure her again and again that she was awake, that she was home. However, he knew making a big deal would only reaffirm that he was lying. "After we head down to Triton and fix this entire mess," he continued. "You humans. You never learn."

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor removed the glasses from Danni's face, smiling softly at her. "All sorted," he promised, folding the legs back up again before popping his sunglasses back into his pocket. "Feel any different? Less… you know… watched?"

She shot him a look before standing up off the stairs. "I generally feel watched," she pointed out before relenting slightly. "But, yes, I do. Thank you."

He grinned at her. He could tell that she was feeling more comfortable. He was starting to learn this new Danni's mannerisms, and she was stood so rigid and she wasn't looking around like she was trying to find whoever was watching her.

"How did Harkness take being dropped off?" he asked. "Was he insanely jealous that I got to keep you and he didn't?"

"He's my father," she reminded him. "But he made me promise that I'll let him know when you fix my brain. I'll drop him a message in a bit. I still don't feel clean. They were made of mucus…" She shuddered. "I really don't approve."

"They're not the best monsters we've come across," he agreed. "With a stupid name as well. 'Sandmen'. It's juvenile."

She looked at him with furrowed brows, trying and unable to work out if he was being serious or not. " _You_ named them."

"That I did," he replied before realising that he was calling himself juvenile. "So…" he drawled. "You made a trap?"

He knew there was a story behind that. In fact, he was sure there was a whole saga behind the fact that she could take apart some machinery and create a rudimentary electric trap. And by the way she pressed her lips together, by the way she tensed up again and stepped away from him, he knew that it wasn't going to be a good story.

She wanted to just walk away. She wanted to give him a dismissive answer like ' _well, you live, you learn_ ' and ask him if they could take a break before their next big adventure. She'd had enough excitement for at least the next 12 hours.

But she was trying to be better. She'd told him about how her gun had started as a substitute to holding his hand, and that she had adapted to not be scared anymore. She was still much too angry to tell him about her other regeneration, but she did want to be open more. She didn't want Missy to have won, and she had always valued their communication. It was had caused the issues in their marriage at the beginning of his regeneration and she didn't want to make that same mistake again.

"I've had to get out of a few sticky situations," she said, pausing awkwardly. "There was this time somewhere in the Yort System where I'd been trapped in someone's living quarters. They had a vending machine to get their meals, so I rigged up a trip wire connected to its power source so that when someone came to see me, I could escape." She shuffled from side to side. "I had to make it up as I went, but I remembered what I did and just did it again. I guess."

He took a couple of steps towards her. She couldn't look him in the eye, like she was ashamed, but he couldn't be prouder of her telling him even just a little part of what happened. "You know what it was?" he asked her. She shook her head. "Clever. You know how I feel about you being clever."

He pulled her closer to place a kiss in her hair. Then he pulled back, grimacing slightly. "Ugh, dust," he grumbled. "I'd forgotten about that."

She couldn't help but let out a little laugh at him. "You're an idiot," she told him bluntly. His happiness and certainty were definitely helping her feel more like she was back home again, but she still felt like she needed to run because she'd opened up to him. She hated the feeling but she'd already told him so much, she really didn't feel like she could tell him anymore…

"Can we go see Clara?" she blurted out. He blinked, surprised by the outburst.

His immediate response was a definite 'no'. He had been disappointed at the way their relationship with Clara had turned out, but he didn't want Danni anywhere near her. He still felt a lot of anger towards Clara for hurting his wife. However, he also knew that Danni did not feel the same way. He could drop her off for a little while.

"If you wish, my Pet," he purred. "But after that shower. Mucus monsters?"


	24. A Moment with Clara

Clara's life, surprisingly, just moved on. Her life before the Doctor and Danni felt so far away that she could almost believe that it had happened to someone else. But the next day, the very next day, after she had been dropped off she was back at work, teaching her students, setting homework and taking too many pieces of chewed chewing gum off the kids in her classes.

Seriously, it was quite impressive how stupid students seemed to think teachers were.

She decided to just not think about it and found it very easy in the start to just ignore it. It wasn't like she hadn't worked in between travelling and so going to work and watching TV in the evenings wasn't anything out of the ordinary. She did her grocery shopping, she did her laundry. She marked homework and also decided that she really had to stop waiting until the night before to do so. It wasn't until that first Wednesday when they should have picked her up but didn't that she started panicking.

She had walked away. She'd had the best life, with the best people in the universe, seeing amazing sights that the people on Earth wouldn't have even been able to dream of. She wasn't sure if it was the best choice for her, though. She liked her job, but she didn't live near her family anymore and while she did have some normal, human friends they were few and far between. She could have stayed in the TARDIS indefinitely and not felt that much home sickness. She never did. She never looked back.

The problem was that while the Doctor and Danni had fit into her life perfectly, she'd become an odd piece in theirs. She could see it almost instantly. The moment she had hugged Danni on Skaro and the Time Lady hadn't hugged her back she knew that everything had changed. She knew that her job with the duo was over. Danni had been found and she had helped, but that was where her necessity ended. Not that anyone needed to be 'necessary' to be a part of someone's life, but they were both starting a new journey and she was a reminder of where they'd been.

She'd spent a lot of that first Wednesday crying. She felt absolutely awful when she had been found by some of her co-workers as they'd assumed that it was because of Danny Pink. She'd used it as an excuse, and his loss was still raw and painful, but her tears had come from the loss of a completely different person. It was a loss she couldn't explain to anyone because they'd never understand. It was the loss of yet another person she loved more than she could put into words.

She'd loved both Danny Pink and Danni Fielding with all of her heart, and the moment she'd hugged Danni she knew she'd lost them both. Sure, Danni would visit - Clara definitely knew that wasn't going to change - but that chapter of her life was over and she needed to grieve it.

She'd spent that first Wednesday feeling sorry for herself because she was allowed to. She'd earned that right, she was owed a moment of pure pain without the need to rein it in or make excuses. The second Wednesday she had sat in her living room and looked around, deciding that if this was the path she was now on, she was going to throw herself head first into it. She was going to take control. She was Clara bloody Oswald. She was the boss of everything.

She didn't particularly want to move, but a change was always claimed to be as good as a rest. Her living room held remnants of everything she had lost and wallowing in it wasn't going to help. Her father had been the same. When her mum had died, he'd ripped the kitchen out and put a new one in only a month after she had passed away. She'd not really understood it at first, she'd just thought it was a way of distracting himself, but then she'd come to realise it was because her mum was such a keen baker. There had been many memories in that kitchen and her dad hadn't been able to take being taunted by them. He'd kept her pots and pans, he'd kept her recipes, but everything else had gone. She wasn't sure if it was healthy or not but she remembered him handling what life had thrown at them a bit better afterwards.

She was renting her flat, though, which meant she couldn't rip everything out. She couldn't repaint, and she couldn't get rid of the hideous carpet that she'd never really liked. She could, however, have a good clear-out and a rearrange. She couldn't even go near her desk anymore because Danni had spent so much time setting up with fairy lights and photographs that every time she looked it at it, all she saw was the friend she lost. The friend who had died at the hands on a mad woman who, as far as she knew, had gotten away. Her only punishment had been to lose her captive.

As she looked over her living room, and then her bedroom, Clara realised that she couldn't keep any of it. She had shared her bed with Danny Pink and Danni Fielding at various points. She'd had date nights where Danny had shown her ridiculous action movies as they'd sat on the sofa together. Danni had built that gingerbread house and placed it on the coffee table. A clean break meant everything old had to go.

It had been pretty easy to get rid of her furniture. Surprisingly easy, to be honest. She'd even earned some money from selling it, which was very helpful. She was on a teacher's salary, after all. Any money towards revamping her flat was very much appreciated. She'd spent a couple of evenings doing some good, old fashioned internet shopping and as quickly as it had gone she had replaced every piece of furniture with something new.

She took the week of work claiming sickness and waited in for the deliveries to turn up and for her old furniture to be taken away. It definitely wasn't because she had everything ready to go by the Wednesday and she had wanted to be in just in case the Doctor and Danni dropped in for a visit. She needed time to put it all together again. It wasn't for any other reason.

The Doctor was never going to choose to visit. She hadn't quite got over that yet, but she understood.

She looked around her living room at all of the stuff she had bought. Most of it was flat packed and leaning against the walls, whereas some of them – like her new sofa – was just piled in the middle of the room, waiting for her to find a new place for her to put it. Her new bedframe had been kindly put in her bedroom by two delivery men who had done it out of the kindness of their hearts, and not the flirty smile she had sent in their direction.

It would have been very easy for her to just replace everything and have the layout the same, but when did Clara like anything easy? She had always wanted excitement, adventure, newness. She needed to plan it out and plan it well. She spent the entirety of Wednesday morning plotting things out on some graph paper she had taken from school. Everything was sized down to scale and she'd cut out each little square that represented every piece of furniture and had rearranged everything, sticking it all down when she had worked it out.

She'd then had to do it all over again because she realised that she'd left the bloody sofa off.

Once she was happy with it, she cleared the floor, pushing everything to the back of the room so she could work towards it. The first thing she had to build was a side table that would go in the space between her kitchen door and the hallway door. It also was going to be a simple build, which meant that she wouldn't be discouraged straight away. Clara Oswald was good at everything she tried, but she hadn't tried this too often.

She'd just emptied the box of parts onto the floor when there was a knock on her front door. She paused for a moment, trying to work out if she'd forgotten a delivery, before bracing herself for who was on the other side. She opened the door slowly, trying to work out which neighbour she could have offended now. There was a chance the large amount of deliveries might have annoyed Mr Nowak down the hall; he wasn't fond of people walking outside his apartment door.

She was surprised at the moment it took her to recognise Danni, still not quite used to her new body. Still, the moment she did she chucked the door open wider, grinning at her friend. "Danni!"

Danni looked slightly uncomfortable at the sudden, excited attention. She offered Clara a nod. "Hi," she greeted awkwardly. "I hope it's alright to just drop in. I didn't really think about it, to be honest."

"No, no, it's absolutely fine," Clara promised her as she stepped out of the way. She glanced out into the hallway as Danni headed towards the living room. She frowned before shutting the door. "No Doctor?"

Danni shook her head. "No, he didn't want to see you," she replied bluntly. Clara tried not to feel slightly offended. "You know what he's like. He's incredibly dramatic. He'll be back in a bit. I just wanted to borrow your comput… what are you doing?"

Clara joined her by her side and saw her eyes looking all over the room. "Oh, I'm just… redecorating," she offered, keeping the reasons to herself. "You caught me battling with a side table."

Danni looked at all of the wooden panels on the floor and nodded slowly. "I'm guessing it's winning?" she guessed.

"Hey, I'm a master of the flat pack," Clara replied indignantly. "Don't you underestimate me, Fielding."

Danni held her hands up. "I didn't say anything," she replied, although she couldn't take her eyes off the panels and the screws. There was a paper instruction manual discarded on the floor. She was intrigued in a way she didn't quite understand, so she walked over and picked it up. She flicked through, looking at all the black and white illustrations.

"Well," Clara started slowly. She knew that look on Danni's face. It was the one that appeared when something caught her attention, and under different circumstances Clara would have been more concerned. "I had to move the computer into my bedroom, but your old laptop is in your old room…"

She obviously wasn't paying any attention. Clara watched her sit on the floor, grabbing the small bag of screws that had come in the kit to put the table together. She started laying them out on the floor, creating small piles of them.

"Or you could just make a table…" Clara muttered. She walked over and sat down next to her. "You know, this isn't exactly interesting. It's just a flat packed table."

Danni shrugged. "It says you need all these tools," she said, pointing out the list of recommended tools like Clara hadn't seen it before. "Why do you need three different screwdrivers?"

"Because there's three different types of screws," Clara replied. "It literally says it right there."

She reached over to poke the instructions in a teasing fashion, but Danni shushed her and moved it out of her reach. "But that's just stupid," she retorted. "If you need to use three screwdrivers to build a side table then you're doing it wrong." She reached into the pocket of her jacket, leaning to one side to be able to reach in, and pulled out her sonic screwdriver. Clara rolled her eyes. "And how the hell are you supposed to prop just _one_ side up? Surely it makes sense to do both at the same time so that it can hold the back up and you don't have to prop it up yourself? Honestly, who wrote these?"

Clara sighed heavily, standing up. "I'll make the tea, shall I?" she asked loudly and pointedly. Danni nodded before she pushed up onto all fours, bringing some of the panels to her.

"Good idea, sweetie," she replied offhandedly. Clara opened the kitchen door to see Danni holding up too panels side my side. "Maybe I could make a vice…" she muttered to herself.

This was going to be a long afternoon.

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor hammered on the front door again, only seconds after the first time. He wasn't being impatient, Clara was taking too long to open the door. Had she always been this inhospitable to her guests? He hoped that she was treating his Danielle much better.

He shouldn't have left her there on her own. He had spent the entire time anxious that she was out of his sight, and that he had no idea what she could have been doing. What if they'd left the flat? Then anyone could have grabbed her. And then there was the entire fact that he didn't trust Clara at all around her. She had been the one who's actions – along with his own, admittedly – that had led to Danni being taken in the first place. She'd also admitted to being in love with his wife, however he knew that Danni didn't feel the same way. He was still convinced that she didn't even notice how Clara felt about her. It still didn't make him feel any better, but it did make him feel slightly smugger that Danni loved him enough to not even notice Clara's blatant attempts to get her attention.

Clara _eventually_ opened the door and the Doctor pushed inside without waiting for her to invite him in. "Where's Danielle?" he asked without a greeting.

"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you," Clara replied. He looked at her suspiciously, waiting for her to admit to hurting his wife yet again, but she just waved her arm to direct him to her living room. He walked in, ready for a fight, but instead came to a stop at the sight of his wife.

Clara stopped at his side, feeling a little smug at the fact that he was obviously blindsided. "She's been doing this all afternoon," she told him. "She came to use my computer and decided to build me a house."

For once, he was certain Clara wasn't exaggerating. Dotted around the room were many different pieces of furniture, all in various stages of being built. Danni had a tape measure hanging around her neck as she moved from a half-finished desk to a chair, her hair pulled up into a messy bun on top of her head, her screwdriver in hand. She zapped the chair once with the sonic then gave the top a hard whack. It didn't break, or fall over, and she grinned happily to herself.

She turned around to head back to the desk and caught sight of the Doctor. "Theta!" she cried before carefully making her way through the maze she had created to her husband. "I didn't realise it was that time already. We've been really busy."

"Yeah, ' _we'_ ," Clara muttered to herself. Danni hadn't let her near anything. She had been relegated to making tea and fetching her the instructions, only for her to chuck them away from her and say they were wrong. She'd set up the television on the floor and watching daytime property shows to try and get herself some inspiration for her bedroom.

"I can see that," the Doctor replied. He wanted to make some sort of remark about how he hadn't dropped her off to be free labour for Clara, but he couldn't bring himself to. There was a happiness on her face that he really hadn't expected to find from her building furniture. But even the way she had greeted him had been so much more relaxed and less worried about who might have heard her. "I thought you were going to have some of that 'girly' time you keep telling me you and Clara would always have."

"Well, I was, but then she was struggling to put up the furniture," she explained. "And then… well, time got away from me." She motioned at the carnage that she had created in Clara's living room. "I thought I would have more time before you turned up."

"I'm sorry that I'm fantastic at driving," he retorted. "You used to always complain when I was late."

"I complained when you were months late, not minutes," she pointed out. "Plus we both know that I'm the better driver."

Clara blinked in surprise and the Doctor looked positively indignant. "Wait, you can drive the TARDIS?" Clara asked her.

"You are not the better driver," the Doctor countered. "Who's the more experienced Time Lord here?"

"Way to pull the old man card, old man," Danni teased. "I can't leave Clara with a half-made room. Help me fix the desk."

She headed over to the half-made desk and the Doctor followed without declaring that Clara didn't deserve their help. "For some reason it wants me to put the back on last, but how can you line the top up properly first? I don't understand it."

"What have I told you about following the manual?" the Doctor asked. "Give it here."

He snatched the paper sheet out of Danni's hand as Clara watched on. Danni had been absolutely obsessed with building all the furniture, all at once, and not actually doing whatever she wanted to do on the computer. She'd seemed more comfortable when being distracted than she had the entire time Clara had been on the TARDIS after she had returned. She talked easily, telling Clara about all the trouble they had been him, and what they had been up to with Jack. She hadn't wanted to talk about what had happened with Missy, but Clara had actually been rather glad. It was nice to just hang out with her best friend like it was just any other day. Danni could hide her worries in flat pack furniture and Clara could pretend she didn't have any to begin with.

She watched the two work together, both complaining about the manual, the Doctor pulling out those stupid sunglasses of his only for Danni to bat them away. They already were moving so much more in sync. Danni didn't flinch away from his touches and he didn't seem so scared about upsetting her anymore.

She'd made the right choice by leaving. It didn't make it any easier, though.

"It's just a desk!" she called to them. "I thought you wanted to use the computer!"

"Oh, I'll get to that," Danni called over her shoulder. "No, Doctor, that's not right! I don't have any of them screws left!"

"These aren't going to fit," he pointed out, looking around the room. "What about… One of those!" He left her side to head over to the side table that _still_ hadn't been put up. "Here! This one will work."

Danni glanced over and wrinkled her nose in response. "No, it won't," she stated bluntly. "But I do think if we take the drawers from the side table and one from the shelves we could create a much better filing cabinet."

Clara quickly shook her head, storming over. "No! You're building a desk! Stick with the desk!"

 _~0~0~0~_

"I'll bring it back," Danni promised Clara as they headed for the door. The Doctor had drawn the line at trying to build a wardrobe for Clara's bedroom and had insisted they go, but she'd not actually sat down and done what she was supposed to on the computer.

"It's _your_ laptop," Clara reminded. The Doctor had already stepped out of the flat so she knew that suggesting Danni stay a bit longer and complete her task was out of the question. She knew that the Doctor wouldn't stop Danni seeing her friends and family but she also knew that he didn't trust her at all anymore, and she didn't want to overstep that boundary. She needed to prove to him that his wife was safe with her so he wouldn't be concerned. She doubted it would happen, but she could try.

"I know, but I still feel like I'm stealing it," Danni replied. "And I would know, I've done a lot of stealing. I stole this jacket."

This was news to both Clara and the Doctor, who looked at her in surprise. "Really?" Clara asked. Danni shrugged.

"It was a cold planet and no one was using it," she used as a defence. "What was I supposed to do? Missy wouldn't…" She trailed off, realising that she was talking without thinking. Both of them were watching her closely, waiting, almost desperate for the little bit of information she was going to give them. It caused her to freeze up and want to keep it to herself, that familiar concern of any sort of weakness being used against her giving her the overwhelming urge to change the subject and flirt her way out. She'd done that enough times.

But the Doctor and Clara cared for her. And not just because she was of use to them, either. Because they were kind people, who wanted to know the information so they could help her get over the _many_ little insecurities she'd gained over the years. She knew both of them would and had shared with her in the past. She was safe to do so. She just didn't feel it yet.

She looked down, shifting the laptop slightly. "I wasn't allowed coats or jackets or anything inside," she explained quietly. "You know, anything that could keep me warm on an escape."

There was a moment of pause while they both processed the information. "Well, I like the jacket," Clara declared, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "Makes you look like your dad."

Danni grinned. "That's what he said. We're starting to look like a family. I used to look like Amy, but the universe couldn't handle how fantastically gorgeous I was." She gave Clara a smirk. "Too bad it really lucked out this time. I'm a bloody catch these days." She turned to her husband. "Best get going."

They said their goodbyes, without a hug from Danni but a promise to not be strangers, and Clara was left on her own again. She closed the front door slowly and ended up staring at it for the longest time, her mind blank. It was strange, because it almost felt like she had just imagined the entire encounter. One minute they were there, and the next they were gone. In fact, she was sure she'd had this dream before. Was this what a breakup really felt like? She'd never been broken up with, she'd only ever been the one to break up the relationship. The only time she had been left had been with Danny Pink…

She blinked the tears away and walked away from the door, laughing slightly at the bombsite that Danni had left her home in. To be honest, she was surprised at how brilliant Danni had been at building. This body had definitely gained some hands-on skills.

Clara sat down on her sofa, looking around the room. She needed to get to moving on. She couldn't just sit there planning. She needed to get to doing. She still couldn't think of Danny. She still felt the hole in her life that he had left and she wasn't naïve enough to think it would go away, but she had to maintain it, had to learn how to live with it.

She picked up her phone, flicking through the contacts. She held it up to her ear.

" _Miss Oswald,"_ Kate Lethbridge-Stewart greeted. " _I hope you've got good news for me._ "

It took a moment for Clara to realise that no one had informed Kate that Danni had been found. Vaguely she wondered how many people they had actually told, and how many people were still looking. "Oh, about that…" She started. "Actually, could we meet up to talk about it? Coffee or something?"

" _Must be good news, then,_ " Kate guessed correctly. " _I'll let Osgood know. She could use something good_."

"Yeah, I'll tell you the details," Clara dismissed. "Also I have a favour to ask. Could you get me a job?"

 _~0~0~0~_

 _I'm sick of being angry._

 _I'm just a fucking idiot sometimes. I keep waiting for an apology but I'm never going to get one. I keep trying to sort things out on my own because no one ever comes. He's promised to come when I cry, but I don't know if I trust that. He didn't come for me before._

Danni stared at the words she'd typed out on the screen. She then pressed send and watched as the email disappeared, only to appear a moment later amongst the rest of her unread emails. Each one she had sent herself as a way to rant. She had needed an outlet, and what better than a place no one knew where to look. The only other time she'd had an email address had been when she had been emailing Brian Pond, but she hadn't done that in centuries. She'd logged onto that email before sitting down now to write to herself. Nothing had come of it, but then again Brian was back with the rest of her family in a time when they barely had television, let alone a strong internet signal.

She wasn't sure if it was actually helpful, but while she was trying to be more open with her husband, there was things she really didn't want to tell him. Her anger was one of them. Being distracted by adventures and near-death experiences kept it at bay. It was in the down moments of their life that it bubbled up towards the surface. And it wasn't as if she didn't think she had plenty to be angry about. She'd lost so much time being kept captive by Missy, and that was ignoring all the stuff that had happened to her. She'd had to run around the universe, doing things she'd never dreamed of doing, because she had needed to survive.

Only to find out that her husband had gone to see Davros. Actually had gone to his death without finding her.

It really pissed her off. She understood the feeling of defeat at being separated and unable to do anything about it. She had searched, and searched, and left more than just noise in her wake as she'd searched the universe for her husband. She understood it deeply, but knowing that he'd actually given up on finding her? On _her_?

She knew it was why she was hiding from him now. She knew it was why she turned and ran from him on the space station above Triton. It was why she had been desperate to see Clara when they got back even though she should have just enjoyed her brain no longer being hacked by sentient sleep dust. He could come for her when she'd already moved herself to somewhere safe, but not when she _actually_ was in danger?

Not that she needed saving.

But she'd always thought he was out there looking for her.

She shook her head, slamming the lid down on the laptop. She was being harsh on him. She knew he had looked for her. It wasn't like she had any reason he'd just sat around and twiddled his thumbs. He'd been kind to her and he'd helped her feel like she was safe again. He'd made her laugh, and smile, and forget what had happened for a little why. Every single reason that she had fallen in love with him was showing through in full force as he tried to help her heal. She didn't need a reason to be angry at him. And yet, there is was.

She stood up and ran a hand through her hair, only to get her fingers stuck in the bun she'd put up earlier and forgotten all about. She swore before ripping it out, fluffing the shape out of her hair. She was a stupid idiot. That definitely had never changed.

She walked over to the door, opened it and headed down the hallway to find her husband, who happened to be coming her way. Both of them paused, surprised at the sight of the other, as if they'd not expected to find the other so soon.

"You alright, sweetie?" she asked him.

"I had an idea," he told her. "I was coming to get you. Come on." He grabbed her hand and started walking away, almost dragging her along if she didn't quickly fall at his side.

"Are we going out already?" she asked, a little confused. "I was coming to get you for dinner. We could get something out, if you like?"

"What?" he asked in reply. "No, why would we go out? This way." There was a slight curve in the hallway before he stopped in front of a door. "This one."

She frowned. "'This one' what? The door?" He nodded but made no move to open it. She waited a moment longer to see if he did anything else. He didn't, so she opened the door. In the room was a selection of tools, from the Earth basics of hammers and traditional screwdrivers, to things that she didn't recognise at all. Her brows furrowed further as she stepped in. "I've seen this before," she commented as she looked around.

"This is where that red head the universe found too fantastically gorgeous to handle tried to cut her arm off," he reminded her. She nodded slowly.

"That was a low moment, I'll admit," she replied. "Come to show me how much more fantastic I've become?"

"I can think of a million better ways of doing that. Only some of them involve us being in an enclosed space together, and quite a few involve you being in a different state of dress," he replied cheekily. "I thought, though, that while you might recognise the room, you've probably not noticed that door before."

She turned her head slightly and saw that, indeed, there was a door hiding just behind the where they were stood. "I had not," she admitted. She glanced at him quickly to confirm he wanted her to open it, then she did.

Inside was a much larger room than the one they had been in. There were work stations dotted around, each in complete disarray. There was a large amount of different size boxes stacked around and a lot more tools.

"This is the workshop," he told her. "Well, one of them anyway. She misplaced them occasionally." The lights flickered as the TARDIS took offence from his words. "This one is my favourite, though. I thought that you might get some use out of it."

It did look rather intriguing, she had to admit. In the same way Clara's pile of unmade furniture caught her attention, there was so many things around the room that she wanted to play with first. She would call him messy if the fact that everything was out on display just made her want to run around and pick everything up.

Something particular caught her attention on one of the worktops. She quickly made her way to it, looking over the device with a frown. Unlike Clara's furniture, this was obviously something electrical. There were wires hanging out, some of them already attached to what she guessed was a power source.

"What is this?" she asked, picking up without asking. She turned it over in her hands but saw nothing she was familiar with.

"Oh, that's ancient," he said, slightly amused. "I was trying to build a case for your manipulator. I thought if I could contain the activations then it might just continuously loop back on itself and you'd stay put." He took it off her. "It was a foolish idea. The energy alone would have blown you to bits."

"Would have got it off?" she offered as consolation.

"Yeah, and I would have been left with a dead wife and an arm with a manipulator attached jumping through my timeline instead. Neither seem like an upgrade, do they?"

"True. I have to be enjoyed in all my glory," she agreed. "What's with all the boxes?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. He walked over to one, pulling it away from the wall so he could look inside. "Ah."

"Ah?"

"It's furniture," he replied. "I think she wants to help you feel better as well."

"Well, that's cause she's adorable." She walked over to his side, looking in the box. From the parts she could see it appeared to be a chest of drawers. "I don't know why I liked building the furniture so much," she told him. "But I did. I really enjoyed it. I liked seeing it come together."

That didn't surprise him. She'd always been the same, really. It was the reason she liked to see their companions more often than he did, and why she was the one who always took them back to see them. She liked to see things and people grow and progress. It came out in her love of people watching, where she was spin ridiculous yarns around the fake lives of the people she saw. This time around, though, it was coming out in putting things together. In the same way he was loving playing the guitar because it had a beginning, a middle and an end he could control and he knew was coming. Even the saddest of songs were expected when you were playing them. For a woman who's life had been out of her own control for the entirety of her current regeneration, it was easy to see that having control over building the furniture was going to pull her in.

But it was that brilliant mind of hers that was pulling her in this time. She liked to learn, she liked to know how things work, and with a regeneration who'd seemingly spent so much time embracing that it made perfect sense that she loved to see how things were put together. And it made even more sense that she'd started trying to make new things out of the parts, putting things together that might not have gone just to try it. Her brain was incredible and she had always been one to try and learn as much as she could.

"I want to look at that thing again," she said, as if he had a choice. She grabbed his hand, dragging him like she used to when she'd seen something exciting. "I need to know how to take it apart. Show me what you were doing."

And he was happy to oblige.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Sorry that this is late. I can't tell you the trouble I had with it, and that I was still having with it before I decided to just give up and post. I hope that it makes sense. At least a little, anyway :)_

 _Reviews -_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie :)_

 _ **bored411** \- Just a little glimpse at Clara and Danni here. We'll see more of Clara later on in the series, though XD_

 _ **whitedwarf** \- Thanks sweetie. As for the question, the Doctor was alright leaving her kinda for that reason. He doesn't trust Clara but he wants to give Danni the freedom to see the people she cares about without him being all suspicious and distrustful. _

_**serenitysaiyan** \- Well, I cut the ending off, which opens up the episode's ending again and basically is awful XD I really don't like the episode, but it felt like a good one to have a bit of Jack in._

 _ **Midnight** **Alley** \- Thanks sweetie. I think well, but it's only the start of their new relationship with their old companion. We'll see more of her._

 _ **Michael** **Thomas1** \- Hope this was okay, then :)_


	25. Progress

**A/N: Please check the end. There's something very special about to happen that I'd love you to be a part of.**

 _~0~0~0~_

"What about now?" Danni called out the doorway.

" _Did you do anything?_ " the Doctor replied. She glared at the doorway into the TARDIS hallway, which she knew would lead straight to her husband.

"Did I do…" she grumbled before raising her voice again. " _Of course I did something! Why would I ask?"_

" _Well do something else!"_ he replied, sounding more and more out of breath. The thudding that she could hear in the distance explained his breathlessness. " _They're getting angry!"_

She turned back to the console. "Do something else," she continued to grumble to herself. "No one told him to go into the bloody library."

The buttons in front of her made a lot more sense than they had done even a hundred years ago. Still, she found herself pressing random buttons that she hoped would work. Her next step would be to go underneath the console again and she really didn't think that the Doctor would be pleased if she did that right now.

"How about now?" she shouted out again.

" _Try aga-ah!_ "

Her gaze shot back to the doorway, this time in alarm at his cry of pain. "Theta!" she shouted. "Are you alright?"

" _Shakespeare!"_ he shouted angrily, grunting slightly as he took another swing. Danni heard the bat hit the book, hopefully knocking it far away from him. " _I bloody hate Shakespeare! Have you tried rerouting the library's operational matrix…_ "

"Of course I have!" she interrupted. "Give me a minute!"

She rushed to the other side of the console, an idea popping into her head. The operational matrix was a good place to start if that hadn't been the part that he'd buggered up in the first place. That would take longer to fix and, apparently, he was already working on making up some new circuit boards to replace it. But, if that meant that the TARDIS couldn't control the books then someone else needed to.

"Urgh gross, gross, gross…" she groaned as she put her hands in the psychic interface. There had to be a better way of connecting to the console. She was sure there used to be. That would be her next job.

She closed her eyes and focused on the library. She focused on the books being neatly lined up on shelves upon shelves. She focused on books not flying around and battering her husband. Although, throwing Shakespeare at him might finally encourage a trip back to see the author.

She shook her head, focusing even harder. There was an easier way to get that trip than throwing heavy books at the Doctor's head. And much more fun ways to convince him, as well.

" _What did you do?"_ he called from the other room. She smiled to herself.

"Has it stopped?"

" _What did you do?"_ he repeated, telling her that it had. " _I'm coming back_."

"No, wait!" she shouted back. "One sec!" She pulled her hands out of the psychic interface and waited a couple of moments. "How about now?"

" _I'm coming back!"_ A moment later he appeared in the doorway, cricket bat still in hand. He looked a bit dishevelled but otherwise fine. "What did you do?"

"Did it work?" she countered. She didn't want to admit anything unless it had worked, after all. It was always good to own your mistakes unless you were trying to look smart.

He nodded and she grinned happily. "I used the psychic interface and told the books to stop flying around," she explained. She held her arms out slightly, the picture of arrogance. "Yeah, I did that. Me," she bragged. "Surprised you didn't think of that sooner, Spaceman."

He tried to look annoyed, but the grin that spread on his face matched hers. He let out a laugh of delight and dropped the cricket bat before rushing over to her. She met him half way, running to meet him and he caught her, lifting her off the ground.

"That's my Danni-Girl!" he cried, incredibly proud. He spun her around, much to her surprise, before putting her back down on the ground. She held onto him to stop herself falling back over. "You and that gorgeous brain of yours. I love it!"

"Well, I do try," she replied modestly. "I'm finally catching up to you."

"Catching up?" he repeated. "Nah. I've always been lightyears behind you, my Pet." He pressed a kiss on her head. "Your strong will alone will always save you. You never needed this doddering old fool."

All at once he watched a change in her. She was happy and teasing one minute, the next she was pulling away, her face neutral again. "Danielle?" he asked, concerned. Had he said something that had upset her? Had Missy said something similar and he'd reminded her of that?

"What?" she asked, a little bluntly, but trying to act like his words hadn't immediately put her on edge. "What's next? The kitchen lights were flashing different colours again, weren't they?"

He nodded. "We can do that in a minute," he agreed. "What's wrong? I'm sorry if I said something that upset you."

"You didn't," she replied. "Don't apologise. Let's just get on with fixing the kitchen." She walked over to the console again, switching the monitor's feed to the kitchen. Just as she remembered; the lights were flashing random colours like some sort of 1990's disco.

The Doctor watched her. She was trying to pretend nothing was wrong, but he could feel it. He could feel her putting that emotional barrier up that she did when she tried to internalise her emotions. He could appreciate that. He had done that himself enough times, and Danni had always seen through it. She saw him when he was sad, especially when he was pretending to be his happiness. He knew her just as well.

"Danni," he tried again. "I just want to help."

She paused for a moment before looking over her shoulder, shooting him a small smile. "You are," she replied. "I promise. Nothing's wrong with me. The TARDIS, on the other hand, seems to be in the mood for a rave." She turned back to the monitor. "You don't think she's flown through something and got a little… you know… _happy go lucky?_ "

He tried to smile in return but it came out as just a little tilt of the lips. "Well, I guess that is a possibility," he agreed, joining her at the console. "It wouldn't be the first time something strange has gotten into the ventilation. I'm sure I would have noticed though." She watched closely as he started to run the diagnostics to check for foreign bodies in the ventilation.

"Does that work for everything?" she asked him, intrigued. "I've seen you use it before but I've never known _when_ you can use it."

He nodded. "You can use it for pretty much everything," he replied. "However, its usefulness depends on what mood she's in when you run it. I once tried to work out why she wouldn't land in 15th century Britain. Took her three days to tell me that she just didn't want to land. I think she was bored."

Danni giggled slightly. "Well, you _do_ tend to hang around Earth," she pointed out. "She was probably trying to broaden your horizons."

"I can broaden my own horizons," he retorted, looking up at the time rotor in the middle of the console. "She's just stubborn."

The TARDIS tilted slightly to one side in protest and the Doctor slammed into Danni, managing to find his footing as she fell to the floor. He quickly helped her up sheepishly. "Sorry, my Pet."

Again she tensed, again she was pulled out of the moment and back into why she had been trying to fill her time with trips to Clara and fixing things. "Don't apologise," she repeated firmly, brushing herself down. His brows furrowed. He didn't understand why that was upsetting her.

"Why don't you want me apologising?" he asked gently.

"Because I don't," she snapped back. "Drop it, Theta. We need to fix the kitchen otherwise I'm not going to be able to cook dinner."

"I don't want to force you to talk about it," he reassured her. "I'm just concerned. I don't like upsetting you and I don't understand how I am doing so."

"I know," she retorted. "Stop apologising, that's how you help."

"Why?"

"Because you never apologised!" she exclaimed before she could stop it. This was how Missy had always got her to talk; by picking at her until she couldn't hold it in anymore. She had become so much better at keeping her feelings to herself but the Doctor always had a way of making her talk.

It took a moment for him to understand, but then it clicked into place. He'd upset her because he'd reminded her, again, of how she'd had to survive without him. How he'd let her down. How he hadn't stopped Missy taking her. He had said the words, but he knew that it was never going to be enough.

"Danielle," he started, taking a step towards her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I allowed that… that _monster_ anywhere near you. She should never…"

"Oh, not that," Danni interrupted harshly. "Stop apologising for that! You're always apologising for things that aren't you fault! Missy was always going to get her grubby hands on me. She always wanted me as her own. You didn't have a choice, that wasn't your fault! Stop apologising for her!"

"I don't understand…" he replied, thoroughly confused.

The confusion annoyed her even more and she raised her finger, pointing at him. "You gave up on me," she accused.

He shook his head, still baffled. "No, I didn't," he said. "I've never given up on you."

"You went to Davros!" she countered, almost shrieking. "You stopped looking and you went to your death! If I hadn't found out where you were then you would have died. You stopped looking, you stopped waiting. You _gave up on me_!"

"I didn't give up on you," he protested. "You were always going to be fine! You can survive anything in the universe!"

She shook her head. "Stop saying stuff like that!" she replied. "It doesn't matter if I can survive or not. I went through so much bullshit because I believed you were going to be on the other end. I was fighting to get home, to my friends, to my family, _to my husband_ , only to find he wasn't even looking! You gave up on finding me! No matter what you say, you gave up on finding me which means you gave up _on me!_ " She panted slightly but the weight of her anger was slowly disappearing. Now that she'd said it out loud she felt better, but she also felt broken. "I waited so long," she continued, her voice cracking. "I waited and I waited until I couldn't anymore and you were never coming for me. You promised me, Theta… You promised…"

He quickly closed the space between then, pulling her into a hug. She was trying to hold it in and he hated that she wouldn't cry in front of him. She didn't feel like she could, she was holding it back and it was because she thought that he'd given up on her. She didn't feel comfortable being upset with him.

He had never meant it that way. He had never given up on her, he'd given up on his own abilities. It was hard to carry on when the universe was putting every obstacle it could in front of you. He hadn't felt strong enough until he'd been confronted by the very real possibility that he was going to die. He had come out the other side of that alright. In fact, it had brought back his Danni-Girl, he had been more than revigorated. He'd never even considered how it'd look to her.

"I'm sorry," he told her sincerely. "I never once gave up on you. I gave up on myself, on the universe, on everything but never on you." The lights in the console room dimmed, almost as if the TARDIS herself was giving them a moment together. He was very grateful.

"You did, though." She pulled back enough to look up at him. Her face was bright red, her eyes shining with the tears . "Even if you didn't mean it, Theta, you gave up on me. You believed Missy when she said I was dead. I heard you address the Daleks. You thought I was dead because you thought I couldn't win."

He took a deep breath, giving her a tight squeeze, placing another kiss on her head. "I hoped you were," he admitted. "Not because I wanted you dead. I've never wanted you dead, you know that. But the places I looked for you, my Danni-Girl…" He let her go, unable to even hold her as he thought on where he'd been. He walked over to the stairs and sat down, looking and feeling all of the thousands of years old he was.

"I went to the depths of the universe," he explained. "I had to check, I wasn't sure where she would take you. I saw people being sold to the highest bidder. People abused, beaten, tortured, all in the name of money. Children screamed and cried and no one cared. Places where laws meant nothing, things I should have stopped and I didn't… I didn't care…" He ran a hand over his face. "I knew… I thought if you weren't in that depravity then you might have been somewhere much, _much_ worse and I couldn't believe that she would take you there. If you were dead…" He looked up at her. She was stood there, her lips pressed together, shuddering as she supressed her sobs. "I'm sorry, Danielle. I never gave up on you, but I should have never given up on finding you."

She nodded slowly. "I did some terrible things to, you know?" she replied. "Things that would make you sick. We've both been on the wrong side of history. You'll always have my forgiveness. I know you don't do anything out of malice. You've just… You've been trying so hard to make me forget, but I can't forget. I can't forget what she did to me and I can't forget what came next. It's part of who I am, and I want… I wanted acknowledgement." She swallowed. "I just wanted to know you were sorry."

"I am," he quickly promised, shooting off the steps. "More than you could ever know."

She stared him down, trying to see the lie, waiting for the conditions of his words. Nothing came, though, and she believed him completely. She wasn't exactly innocent herself. She was still holding secrets back from him in fear of being rejected. Or worse – hated.

"Okay," she whispered. "Can we—" she shifted slightly. "Can we just try to fix the kitchen, please?"

He nodded eagerly. "Let me show you how to run some proper diagnostics," he started, moving on from the moment. He tucked it away, though, to work out at another time. Her words echoed in his mind as he slammed his fist down onto the console.

"Stop being so contrary!" he demanded. "You're my time machine, act like it!"

" _Theta!_ "

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor growled deep in his throat, pulling her in for a kiss she could barely return. Her breaths are short and sweet. He couldn't resist trying to catch each one. She felt so good around him, and her face was showing just how good he felt inside of her.

He crushed her up against the wall, tightening his grip on her thighs. His head fell forward and he nuzzled up against hers as her fingers dug into the flesh on his arms. As a man who'd thought he'd lost the woman he loved forever, nothing felt more divine than having her so close, feeling the warmth of her skin, listening to her begging and pleading with him to keep going. As if he'd planned to do anything else.

When she'd stopped crying his name and he'd slowed to a stop, she pulled back so she could see the look in his eyes. His face was shining, little drips of sweat just starting to form on his hairline and she reached up to wipe them away as she held onto him with her other hand. She didn't want to fall.

Her fingers moved from his skin to his hair, feeling the curls give and she couldn't help but smile. "Your hair has grown so much," she commented. "I think you're trying to get back to raggedy man again."

"Never," he murmured. "I'm so much better than _that_ idiot."

"Oi, that's my husband you're talking about," she replied in warning. "Only I get to call any of you an idiot." She paused for a moment. "Idiot."

"You're in a risky position to be calling me an idiot, Danielle," he purred. He pushed up against her, making sure she felt the way he was the one holding her up against the wall. He revelled in the moan that fell from her lips.

"I'm definitely going to need that shower now," she told him. He nodded, letting her set her feet back on the ground.

"That sounds like a good idea," he agreed, sounding reluctant. Then a wicked grin appeared on his face. "Let me help you with that."

 _~0~0~0~_

"Then what do I do?"

"Connect the power," the Doctor replied. He dipped his head down low so he could see underneath the console. Danni was underneath, on her back, looking at all the wires above her head with a bunch in her hand and her screwdriver in her mouth. She was reaching up and he shook his head. "No, not those. They're for the navigation system."

She tilted her head back so she could see him. "That's on the other side of the console," she said around the screwdriver.

"Well, that's what they're for," he replied. "You need the power ones. See the yellow ones?"

She looked back up at the mass of wires above her head. She hadn't expected this particular Doctor to be happy with having such an unorganised mess underneath the console, and yet here she was. The blue wires she had been reaching for should have, logically, come from the centre column and, as would have made sense, been the source of the power. How he'd managed to get the wiring so disorganised was, quite frankly, impressive.

"Yes?" she replied, her voice muffled.

"Not those." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He was doing this on purpose, she was sure.

She reached up and grabbed the screwdriver from her mouth. "Well, which ones _is_ it, then?" she bit out. She'd been under the console a lot longer than she had been expecting to be there. She was sure he was doing this on purpose.

"Umm…" He moved in a little closer, almost bent in half as he looked into the hatch. "Try the blue ones next to the yellow ones."

" _Try_ the…" she repeated before getting too annoyed to wait any longer for him to guess his way around the console. She grabbed the blue ones in the same hand as the wires she was already holding and buzzed the ends of them all. She dropped her screwdriver onto her chest before quickly twisting them all together. She then vowed to spend a couple of days tidying up his mess before sliding out.

The Doctor helped her stand then shut the hatch. He reached over and grabbed the paper cups, handing her one. "Ready?"

She nodded and placed it on the drinks dispenser that was now built into the console. She pressed the lever at the back and poured the drink into her cup. She only put a little bit in. "Looks good so far," she commented, to which the Doctor agreed and poured his own drink. She shrugged. "Well, taste test time…"

One of things she had come to find with this regeneration was that most of the drinks created across the universe were utter garbage. One of the only ones she actually enjoyed, the one she actually craved on occasion, was Coca Cola. She wasn't sure why but she would rarely drink anything else. When she raised the cup to her lips and tasted the sweet fizzy drink, she smiled happily. "Oh, that's the stuff."

The Doctor, taking confidence in the pleased look on her face, also took a sip. Instead of something refreshing, he pulled a face and quickly swallowed it before he could taste it anymore. Danni looked at him in sympathy. "Root beer again?" she asked.

He nodded. "You can't have plugged it in correctly," he said factually. She was offended, handing her drink to him.

"Try that." He did and she could tell instantly that he was tasting the same thing that she was. She tried very badly to hide her smugness. "Maybe it's the TARDIS. She did always like me more than you."

The Doctor paused before taking another sip. He turned to the console, outraged. "That's it, isn't it?" he cried. "You're ganging up on me. _Again!_ "

There was a ripple of light that ran over the console and Danni let out a delighted belly laugh. "Oh, I do like you!" she declared, taking her cup back of the Doctor to put it underneath the dispenser. She filled it to the top and took another sip, making sure to back a dramatic refreshed noise as she did. "I do like you indeed."

"No, no, I won't have it," the Doctor continued. He pointed at Danni. "You're not turning our home against me."

"Hey, don't blame me," Danni retorted. "She came willingly. Do you blame her?" She waved one had up and down herself. "Look at me."

"You… You…" the Doctor stuttered out, trying not to admit that he agreed wholeheartedly. He could see her cheeky grin, and the way her eyes were lighting up happily. "Come here."

Danni turned, running away as he tried to grab her. She let out a little shriek as he began to chase her. "Theta! I'm going to spill my drink!"

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni looked around as they stepped out into the street. The buildings looked so familiar, but then again most buildings did. There were only so many designs for buildings, after all. Unless the ruling species on a planet had a very unique style, Danni had found it hard to tell planets apart based on architecture alone.

"Can't you just tell me?" she asked yet again.

"Where's the fun in that?" the Doctor replied. "You've got the take a stab in the dark. It sharpens the mind! Try a year first, we'll work from there."

"How can I guess the year if I don't know where I am?" she pointed out. She looked upwards at the tall buildings. It just felt like any other city. The skyline wasn't anything particularly different, although she couldn't shake the feeling that she had been there before. "I don't know. Give me a clue, Theta, I've never been good at this as you."

"Yes you have," he encouraged. "You've just never noticed. Look up." She just stared at him and he motioned with his hands. "Go on, look up, look up!"

She sighed and did just that. The sky wasn't particularly busy, but there definitely was some air traffic. "Alright, we've got some air travel," she declared. "I mean, that's nothing new is it? We live in a time travelling space ship. We could be anywhere."

"True, true," he conceded. Even now she was defensive at trying to work something out like this for fear of being wrong. She was much better than she used to be, but he just wanted to show her that she could do this. "What do you notice about them?"

They were walking down a side street, one that actually was quite busy. Danni's gaze kept shooting around, trying to pick out something that she recognised. The residents were all humanoid, but nothing particularly special so they didn't stand out to her.

Well, they didn't stand out to begin with. One by one, and incredibly quickly, the people around them began to stop and stare at the couple.

"Were- Were we expected?" Danni asked her husband lowly, feeling rather exposed at all the attention they were receiving.

"No, I don't think so," the Doctor replied, also feeling a little unnerved. He took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm sure they're just amazed by newcomers," he offered. "We are pretty impressive, after all."

She nodded. "Alright," she said slowly and completely unconvinced.

"What did you notice, then?" he prompted to get them back into their conversation.

She looked back up again to take a look. "Nothing, really," she admitted. "I'm not very good at this whole guessing thing, Theta, you know that."

"Take a look at the engines," he instructed patiently. "There's only a specific period of time they're used. They're not particularly effective or fast. In fact, they were a massive step backwards. They were around for about 10 years during the 52nd century."

"So we're in the 52nd century?" she asked. He nodded in confirmation. "But _where_ are we?"

"Well, that's the million-dollar question, isn't it?" he replied with that wolfish grin that meant he was intent on being rather cheeky and avoiding her questions. She sighed.

"Fine, don't tell me," she retorted. "You'll have to be my tour guide, then."

He held his arm out for her. "How about a chaperone?" he offered.

"Seems anarchic, but I'll allow it," she replied, taking the offered arm gratefully. She wasn't much for public displays of affection in this body, but they were growing on her the safer she felt. There was probably some sort of reason that she could very easily point out should she have taken a minute to think about it. Instead she listened as the Doctor pointed out random things and tried to ignore the feeling that she had been to the planet before.

"This is all well and good, Spaceman, but I thought we'd gone for random," she told him as they edged ever closer to the town centre. "Random normally means running for our lives and saving people despite not intending to get an adventure. What are we doing here?"

"Can't I take you on a nice date?" he countered. "I know Mr Floppy-Hair had an easier time impressing you, but I think I've gotten better."

She held her free hand up in surrender. "I was just pointing it out," she told him. "It's a nice spot. Well, apart from all the staring."

The staring hadn't died down as they'd walked through the town. People would even stop and just watch them walk past, but luckily there had been less people around the more they had walked around.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what that is about," he admitted. "Perhaps they don't approve of us." He pulled her a little closer. "Not that they get a say on that," he grumbled to himself.

She wrinkled her nose. She hoped that wasn't it. They had encountered a few people in their time that had thought the Doctor was her Grandfather because she always seemed to regenerate young. She didn't understand the big deal, though. They were married and had been for such a long time that it was obvious they loved each other.

"Of course they don't," she retorted, also snuggling up a little closer before she realised what she was doing. "You're my husband, not theirs."

The Doctor did appreciate the slight possessive tone that came out as she glared around, almost daring anyone to approach them. It did a lot for his ego, after all, to be wanted so aggressively.

"Alright, there was something I wanted to show you," he admitted. "It's just around this corner. You see, this particular planet is at the very end of a large growth in its economy. The biggest in its history, where the people and the government prospered greatly. Their crowning achievement is their town hall. A war is about to start and I thought we could drop in before it started."

Danni looked up at him, feeling distinctly underwhelmed and yet slightly unsettled. "You've brought me to see a government building?" she asked, unimpressed.

"No," he defended. "I've brought you to see an incredibly grand and stunning government…"

They turned the corner and immediately came to a halt. In front of them was a town hall, but instead of the beautiful architecture and art that the Doctor had been expecting, instead it was a disaster zone. The building was in ruins, with scaffolding holding up parts and builders clearing up with different machinery. "That's not right," he declared, quickly moving forward to get a better look, dragging Danni along with her. "That's not right! What's happened here?"

Danni, on the other hand, was feeling a lot of warning signs fall into place very quickly. All the staring. The fact that, as they moved further into the town centre, the people seemed to disappear. The feeling of familiarity and the deep feeling of dread that had been building up. She had been here before.

And she had to get out. Fast.

"Theta- Theta, we should go," she said, dragging her heels to pull him to a stop. "We should go before we get sucked into something."

He looked at her, confused. "Didn't you complain there was no adventure?" he asked.

"Didn't you complain that you just wanted to take me on a nice date?" she countered. "Look, we should go. You-You said you wanted to show me the building and it's gone. Let's go."

She was starting to panic and the Doctor quickly noticed. "Danni, what's—"

" _Now!_ "

The Doctor could only stare as, from down side streets, a stream of armed officers appeared. They quickly formed a circle, cutting off the rest of the world from the two Time Lords. They held their guns at the ready and he really had no idea what they could have done.

" _Hands up! Time Child, hands up_!" one of them shouted loudly and angrily. Danni quickly looked over her shoulder as the Doctor turned around, baffled. She should have had him tell her exactly where they were. However, this was going to happen eventually. Her past was going to bite her in the arse.

So, she did what she did best. She smirked, waving her hands in front of her in an almost blasé fashion. "Hello boys," she greeted. "Long time no see. Did you miss me?"

"Hands up!" the officer repeated forcefully. "You are surrounded, Time Child!"

"I noticed that," she replied, slowly spinning around in a circle on the spot. The Doctor watched as the officers took aim, getting ready to fire as she slowly faced them all. "And what a fantastic little circle you've made as well. Honestly, this is top notch stuff. I'm very impressed." She finally faced the officer again. She shot him an overly exaggerated sheepish look. "Oh, I do mean it," she promised. "One of the best surroundings I've had in a long time. You've been practicing."

"We will shoot," the officer told her. "You are under arrest for the attempted assassination of Lord Mayor Steven Humple as well as attempting to incite mass panic—"

Danni held her finger up, giving it a little wiggle. "Ah, ah, ah, going to have to stop you right there," she interrupted. " _'Attempting'_? Really? Are we just going to pretend that all the running and screaming didn't happen? I was there. Don't try and hide it from me."

"-As well as several other attacks including the destruction of city hall," the officer finished. "You will come with us to the holding facility where you will be issued a lawyer to defend you. You cannot run, Time Child, you will not win this."

She sighed heavily. "Oh, you do have to use some very scary sounding words," she scolded lightly. "I was just trying to have a nice trip with my… Well, have you lot met, actually?" She clapped a hand on the Doctor's arm. "I'm sorry, how terribly rude of me."

"Danni, what are you doing?" the Doctor asked. "What's going on?"

"It's okay, sweetie, let me do the talking," she replied as if she was trying to calm a child down and not her husband. "Do you know who this is?" she asked the officers around her. "This is my hostage. He's been an absolute sport, you know?"

"Your hostage?" the Doctor exclaimed, slightly offended. "What _is_ going on?"

"Fine, fine," Danni replied. "I might have lied. He's not my hostage, he's my husband. This is the Doctor."

The looks that appeared on all the officers' faces said, straight away, that this wasn't the answer they were expecting nor hoping for. He wasn't sure if he should continue feeling offended or stick with the outright confusion that had appeared the moment they had been surrounded.

The jovial, almost mocking, look disappeared from Danni's face almost instantly. "That's got your attention, hasn't it?" she snapped. "Are you going to let us go, now?"

The commanding officer hesitated and the Doctor really didn't know what to think. The people around them seemed absolutely terrified on Danni and he really couldn't correlate that with the woman he knew at all. The strangest thing seemed to be that she seemed to be expecting it.

"No," the officer replied. "You are under arrest. Step away from your husband and indicate if and where your weapons are."

Danni held her hands up in front of her. "I'm going to get something out now that won't hurt you or anyone else," she told them, reaching into her pocket. "It's not my gun, because you'd all know if it was that. We all know how good my shot is." She reached in and pulled out her sonic. The guns around them were readied to attack if needed, but she held up the device for them all to see.

"You see this?" she asked them. "This will convince you to let me go. This controls every single bomb I have placed around the city. If you do not let me go, I will set them off."

"The city was cleared off all your attempted explosives. There's nothing left for you to detonate."

She shot the man a look. "You really think you got them all?" she countered. "Do you really want to take that chance?"

She set it off once with a buzz and the officers reacted as expected. No explosion happened, but their guns all disengaged and their bullets all fell to the ground. "They're useless now," she told them. "Don't bother reloading. Do you believe me now, officer?" There was a pause and the man slowly nodded. "We're going to leave now. You're not going to follow, do you understand? You do not have the upper hand here. I do."

She turned to the Doctor. "Let's go," she said and he stared at her like he didn't recognise her at all. She expected that as well, but she didn't have time to explain herself. She set off with large strides that the Doctor easily kept up with. She walked them through the circle and out into the street, where she made a beeline to the TARDIS. "Keep moving," she muttered. "They're going to realise very shortly that I didn't actually do anything to the guns. We've got about thirty seconds, tops."

"What did you do?" he asked lowly in reply.

"Just keep moving." The sound of everything starting up again followed them into the alley and the TARDIS, where Danni rushed to the console and set them flying away from the scene.

They both stood in silence. The Doctor couldn't process what had just happened. Seeing people look at his wife like she was the bad guy had never made any sense to him, but seeing her _act_ like she was one felt even more foreign. She seemed to have enjoyed taking on that role as well. Had she really regenerated into that person that the universe seemed to have been scared of all these years?

"What did you do?" he asked, this time firmer, feeling more than a little betrayed.

She turned to look at him and hated the look that he was sending her. The accusations in his eyes, the way he was stood straight, hands behind his back. He was waiting for an explanation. He was waiting for her to let him down.

"I didn't try and assassinate anyone," she replied. "I promise. That wasn't… I just blew up his office. I always made sure no one was inside. I didn't want to…" She sighed angrily. "You see this? _This_ is why I wanted to know where we were! I'm a bloody outlaw, people want to _kill_ me and I don't know what they will do to you to achieve it!"

"That woman was not my wife," he retorted. "My Danielle is _good_ , so you have to explain to me what's happened. I don't understand!"

She shook her head. "You've-You've always held me up at this pillar of goodness. I'm not that, Theta, I never was! I learnt how to treat the universe from you, but that doesn't mean I learnt everything you had to teach me! I've made some god-awful mistakes over the last seven years. There are things I'm not proud of and this is one of them!"

She was becoming more and more upset. He could see it in her eyes. She was ashamed and frustrated and all he wanted to do was comfort her again. But all he could see was a woman taunting the police and threatening to blow everything up. She reminded him too much of her mother, who didn't seem to care about anyone or anything around her, and he knew that wasn't his Danielle. He knew that she was hiding behind a façade but he needed to know _why_.

"What did you do?" he asked her again.

She took a shaky breath, staring at him imploringly. She didn't want to explain what she'd done, she'd wanted to forget. Even thinking about the period of time when she had been on the run made her feel awful. But the cold look on his face and the way he was staring her down said there was no room for argument.

"Okay," she stated softly before swallowing heavily. "Okay. When- I decided to escape from Missy long before I actually did. I'd attempted a couple of times in the spur of the moment, but it never worked. I needed to plan. Once I figured out a way to get the vortex manipulator off her, I had to work out what to do next. I- I couldn't keep the manipulator long and I had one shot to get away. I knew that I had no way of finding you or anyone else and, with no real way to travel, I had to find out a way to contact you.

"So, I decided that the best way was to make some noise. Find some way of signalling that I was waiting. That I was there. I needed a way to scream loudly enough to someone, even if it wasn't you, would hear me. The way to do that is to create moments in time that didn't belong. I found wars, I found disorder, I found moments in time that created noise anyway across one time period and I aimed to get to the planets before it happened. A couple of months before anything kicked off and make enough noise that it would be noticed."

She looked up at him, realising that she'd been staring at her hands. She hated this. She felt like she was stood on trial. "On Requim I managed to get there about four months before the war started. I made some bombs and I planted them in the Lord Mayors office. I then called in, told them of the treat, and that they had twenty minutes to get everyone out. I-I needed enough time so they wouldn't get hurt but enough that they wouldn't find me."

Tears gathered in her eyes as she met his gaze. "I never meant to hurt anyone," she said in barely a whisper. "I thought everyone was out. I just wanted to make some noise, but I was getting desperate and I just wanted to be heard. It was only some stupid government building. It would cause an incident but no one would get hurt. I just- I just wanted you to hear me." Her breaths were coming short and painfully. "I never wanted anyone to get hurt," she repeated. "I never wanted to become the bad guy. I didn't mean it," she sobbed. "I was just- I was screaming for someone to find me. I just wanted to come home."

She fell back against the console, sobbing hard and he was quickly by her side. "You are not the bad guy in this," he promised her, pulling her in for a hug. "We're both quite old, you were bound to make mistakes. This is just a blip in your life, Danielle. You are not the bad guy."

"How can you say that?" she sobbed. "You heard what I did! There's so much more that you don't know, Theta. What do I do?"

She wouldn't look at him, and he knew exactly why. He knew that shame well, that hatred of your actions that made you feel disgusting to even look at. "You try and make amends," he explained kindly. "Do you think that stealing that infernal box was the only thing I ever did in the Time War?" Her brows furrowed slightly. "You've never asked what I did in the Time War…"

"Because it doesn't matter," she finished for him. He nodded.

"I did what I had to do at the time, even if now I would do things differently," he said, which was something she had always said to him. "You gave me forgiveness when I couldn't find it anywhere else, not even with myself. It will take time, but I will make this right for you too."

She shook her head softly. "I don't think you can," she admitted, almost apologetically.

He shot her his kindest smile and pulled her closer so she could get the comfort she wanted to reject. "Just watch me."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Hi everyone! I've got something important to share with you!_

 _On the 3rd June 2013 I posted the first chapter of The Time Child. Since then there has been 6 main stories, 3 one-shots, an AU and a bunch of Outtakes. There have been fanart, and fanfics for the fanfictions and I never thought that I would have ever kept this up for so long, let alone had such wonderful people following Danni's story with me._

 _So, for her anniversary, I'm offering… well, I don't know if challenge is the right word. More of an event, I guess? I don't know. Whatever it is called I'm hoping that you all will participate in whatever way you can. And to help, I've got a prompt._

 _ **Give Danni a memorable day.**_

 _Yes, that's it. Give her a happy day, give her a sad day. Give her a smutty day. Was there an episode I never did you wanted to see? Is there a moment I've never done? Whatever it is, give it to her! It could be writing, it could be art, it could be anything creative! Danni Fielding has been in our life for almost five years now. Let's make it memorable!_

 _This will mainly be on Tumblr, so you can find me on there with the username DanniFielding. You can submit stuff on there, or in PMs on here. You can also submit to the official OurDanniGirl email, which is ourdannigirl . There will be more details and a little celebration on the day on Tumblr, and you can find more information on there as the day approaches. I'd love to see you there :D_

 _And thank you. Just thank you. I love you all._


	26. The Viking Village

Danni collapsed against the Doctor, panting and hearts racing. He had flown them away and, finally, they were safe in the TARDIS once again. "Did it work?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded, also panting. "I think it worked."

She sighed in relief. "What now, then?" she asked. "They're on the other side of the universe. Everyone's going to be safe now, yeah?"

"For the time being," he agreed. "It will give the Velosians time to get their act together for when they return."

Danni nodded. She hadn't been incredibly keen to help out to begin with, but watching the Doctor get stuck into the action had made it hard to resist. He'd explained exactly where they were, and what time period they were in, before he'd even opened the door this time. She wasn't sure if she was grateful or feeling slightly patronised but that was a thought for another day.

"And where are we now?" she asked him. She'd felt the familiar thud of the TARDIS landing but she'd not seen him plot a course for anywhere.

"Somewhere green," he declared. "Somewhere without Love Sprites, or intergalactic war." He'd had enough. It had been hell of a forty-two hours and he didn't want to end the day like that. "Earth," he explained. "851-ish."

He was walking to the doorway but Danni caught the glance over his shoulder, waiting for her to tell him that she'd done something terrible there too. She hadn't. She'd explained that her broken manipulator had only given her about a five-year window before it would just stop working. That didn't include 851 Earth.

"Sounds delightful," she drawled, walking over to his side. "I'm sure we've talked about your need to return to Earth constantly. Maybe we need another intervention."

"I don't need an intervention," he replied. "I didn't need the first one."

"I don't know. Me and Clara really agreed that you loved the planet a little _too_ much," Danni reminded cheekily. "I'm sure we've got the banner stashed somewhere. We got the Year 7s to make it. Told them it was for a science fiction book they were going to read. I bet they were really disappointed."

The Doctor opened the door. "You like it just as much as…" he trailed off for a moment, surprised by the darkness outside. They were in a forest, but it was obvious that it was night time rather than being overgrown above their heads. He had been aiming for the daytime. Perhaps the TARDIS was trying to tell him something. "You like it just as much as me."

"I don't mind it," she admitted, stepping out after him. "I don't mind anywhere, really. If it's new or exciting, I can live with it being all on one planet."

"Can live with it?" he repeated. He sounded offended. "I've just saved an entire planet from being destroyed and all you have is that you 'can live with it'?"

"Weren't you exiled here once?" she reminded. "You didn't stick around. You may love this planet, Doctor, but you're just as eager for adventure as I am."

She spoke too soon. She shouldn't have said anything at all. Two swords came from around the back of the TARDIS, one for each of their throats. The area was lit up by the light of flaming torches as a raiding party appeared. They all wore furs and helmets with horns on, some of them holding shields but all of them armed.

"Doctor?" Danni asked, back straight so she didn't get a nasty cut from the blade against her neck. This wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she'd said 'adventure'.

The Doctor, on the other hand, looked distinctly unimpressed. In fact, he looked rather exasperated. "No, no, not Vikings," he moaned. "I'm not in the mood for Vikings."

Danni wondered if she should tell him off as the raid leader stepped forward. Well, she assumed he was the raid leader. He had the biggest helmet and war paint on, which suggested some form of status. "You're coming with us," he declared in a softer voice than she would have expected from a man leading a raid.

"No, we're not," the Doctor replied. "Do you want to know why?" He reached into his pocket and the Vikings all growled in warning, making sure that he knew that they had weapons as they assumed that he was reaching for his own.

Instead he pulled out his sonic sunglasses. Danni just stared, not disguising her disbelief as he put them on. "On my face, right now, more advanced technology than your species will manage over the next nine million years," the Doctor boasted, as if it was going to scare them off. Instead the raid leader just grabbed the sunglasses off his face and snapped them in two. He dropped them on the ground in front of the Doctor, waiting for the man's next move.

The Doctor turned to his wife. "Danielle?"

She looked up at him expectantly. "Yes, sweetie?"

"We're going with the Vikings."

She sighed. "Yes, sweetie."

"Chain them up," the raid leader commanded. Neither the Doctor or Danni struggled as manacles were clasped around their wrists, nor did they protest as they were forced into walking forward.

"You know, I don't think we've ever done Vikings before," Danni commented quietly to the Doctor. His brows furrowed in thought as he tried to think over the many, many centuries they'd been together. "It's both new _and_ exciting."

The Doctor looked at his wife, amazed as always by her. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"What can I say? Vikings, creepy woods, ye olde Earth and handcuffs." She made the chains binding her hands together jingle. "What's not to like?"

The Doctor's chuckle was cut off by the heavy shove of a shield into his spine. "Oh Danielle, if only we were alone."

She shot him a smirk. "Never stopped us before."

 _~0~0~0~_

The longboat journey was quite boring, but Danni couldn't help but stare up at the stars as they were rowed back to the Viking village. Luckily it was deemed that they wouldn't be strong enough to help row and more than likely would just get in the way. The Doctor had protested about being called 'weak', but Danni had taken it as the blessing it was. Apparently they were going to be on the longboat for a couple of days and she didn't fancy rowing all that way.

Still, the view was beautiful. In the past, and the dark, the stars shone overhead without any sort of hindrance. It reminded her of her third wedding. The stars had shone down on them when she had finally gotten married to the Doctor sat next to her. It had been a wonderful, intimate ceremony.

"Danielle?" the Doctor called, pulling her out of her thoughts. She kept her head tilted back, though, so she could still see the sky.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" she asked quietly. "The whole universe is just out there for everyone to see."

She didn't look particularly amazed, but the Doctor knew differently. Even if she didn't express herself as fully and openly as her first and second bodies had, he knew that she hadn't changed at all. Seeing her fall in love with everything she came across was what had initially drawn him to her and that awe of the universe and everything it contained hadn't gone anywhere. She saw everything with fresh, new eyes.

He tilted his own head back and tried to see what she was seeing. The stars had always called to him to run through, but he was getting on. Sometimes they blended together. He smiled, though, as they spread out in front of him, calling him.

"Well, that's what people like us are for," he replied. "We're the ones who have to go see it."

She turned to look at her husband, who had that eager, excitable look on his eyes that had tempted her when she'd first met him all those years ago, on a screen in her living room. "We can't exactly run on a longboat, Spaceman," she pointed out. "We'd hit a whole lot of wet very fast."

He leant in a little closer, his eagerness taking a decidedly different approach. "We'll just have to find something to do pass the time until we can, then, my Pet," he suggested with a smirk. The look on her face matched his as she reached over him, trapping him between her arms using the chain of the manacles.

"I can think of a couple of things."

 _~0~0~0~_

The sound of the horn had gathered the villagers to great their warriors as they returned. The Vikings pushed their two captives into the village as they walked. It was a pretty typical Viking village, with a large fence around it, keeping invaders away from the few houses and their livestock. The Doctor glanced over at Danni as a shield was pushed into his back to keep him moving. She seemed to be getting similar treatment, but he couldn't ask. In fact, at the look alone, one of the Vikings stepped between them. They'd been kept apart for most of the journey once the men realised that even restraining them couldn't keep them apart.

What could he say? The stars, the water, the closeness. He was an old romantic at heart.

Danni looked around at her husband. "So, when does this plan of yours get going?" she asked.

"Soon," he dismissed. "Very soon."

"You said that when we got off the boat," she pointed out. "I'm not convinced that this plan exists at all."

"It does," he promised. "It didn't before, but it does now."

"So, for _two_ days on a longboat, you didn't think up of a single thing?"

"I don't see you coming up with anything," he replied defensively. "I tried, you're too distracting."

She smirked, trying to get a little closer to him. "I can't help it, either," she purred. "You know how much I love your hair."

The Viking raider who had stepped between them shoved her away roughly with his shield. She looked up at him. "A bit rough? The shackles." she teased. "You better be careful, you'll give a girl delectable ideas."

"Danielle," the Doctor called over in warning. She winked at the Viking, who didn't know what to do with her words, but turned her attention back onto him. "But I have a plan now."

He was right, of course. She hadn't been able to come up with anything useful. All of her plans had involved her either using her gun – which was something she really hadn't wanted to do to Vikings, it seemed a little cruel – or using her sonic screwdriver. The sonic screwdriver probably would have gotten the manacles off, but they wouldn't have made it much further. Sometimes it was best leaving your best tools for escape for later, just in case you needed them.

"What is it?" she asked as they were walked further into the village. The Doctor, who had been looking around, gathering all the information he could on the village, turned to look at her. Instead his eyes caught sight of a young girl who was holding on half of his sonic sunglasses.

He couldn't take his eyes off her, and from the look on her face she'd had the same sense of déjà vu from him. Something about her was special, almost like he'd met her before, but he knew he hadn't because she looked just as confused as he felt.

"Doctor?" Danni called as they were forced into walking again. He hadn't realised he'd even stopped. "What is it? Who is she?"

"Never seen her before in my life," the Doctor replied, turning and walking backwards so he could try and work out what he'd seen.

"You might want to stop staring then," Danni retorted, glancing over her shoulder. The girl was young – really young. "Is she important?"

"Probably, I don't know," he replied, settling back to walk forwards again. "Too much time travel, it happens."

"What happens?"

"People talk about premonition as if it's something strange. It's not. It's just remembering in the wrong direction," he explained, looking back over his shoulder. The Viking behind him shoved him in the shoulder, forcing him to turn back around.

"What, so you're remembering the fact that you're going to meet her?" Danni asked with a frown. He nodded.

"Have you never met someone for the first time and felt like you've known them all of your life?" the Doctor countered. "It's like that, but more obvious. Time travel does that to you."

She nodded. That made a lot of sense. She learnt something new every day. She looked around, also taking in their surroundings. They appeared to be walking towards the middle of the village, where the largest house stood. "Boss man?" she guessed. He nodded. "Usual, then?"

"Am I that predictable?" he asked. She shot him a grin.

"Always," she teased. "No yo-yos."

"Have you got anything better?" he countered.

"Yes. A gun. It glows and kills people. I'm sure that'll seem like magic," she retorted. He didn't pay her any mind. He knew she didn't particularly like the weapon, and he had noticed she was becoming less and less inclined to use it.

"It's in my pocket somewhere," he replied and she shook her head. The boss man came out of the large house, wearing bigger horns than even the raid leader was wearing, just so people knew he was in charge. He greeted the raid leader as his son and Danni found it all particularly boring. She looked around the Viking keeping her and her husband apart and saw the Doctor hold up both his manacles and the yoyo from his pocket.

She raised an eyebrow. That would have been handy two days ago before they'd gotten on the longboat. Should have known he was trying to show off. "You're going to show me how to do that sometime, right?"

His wolfish grin had her smiling. "Where's the fun in that?"

He chucked the manacles straight at the chief's chest and swords and axes were drawn as the pair were surrounded.

"How dare you attack our Chieftain!" the raid leader shouted.

The Doctor lowered his voice. "I am very, very cross with you," he declared, trying to sound as booming and intimidating as possible. Danni pressed her lips together to try and stop herself from laughing. "I am very _disappointed_!" He turned around and startled the village people, who darted back from him. "I have taken human form to walk among you."

"Who are you, old man?" the raid leader demanded.

"Do you not recognise the sign of Odin?" This was the bit that Danni couldn't watch. He bounced the yoyo up and down once as if it was some great sign of power. It had only ever worked once, but he continued to try it more and more. Just like she had expected it didn't work now.

"You are not Odin, and that is not Odin's sign," the raid leader replied, not at all impressed by a little yellow object on the end of a string.

"Oh, and you would know that how, exactly?" the Doctor retorted. He was so offended that his booming voice dropped off completely. "Have you met Odin? Do you know what Odin looks like?"

With impeccable timing, a thunderclap echoed throughout the village. Everyone turned to look up at the sky, where a large cloud had gathered. From the cloud a face formed, wearing an ornate Viking helmet and a metal eyepatch over one eye.

"Oh, my people. I am Odin," the head declared regally. The village folk began to drop to their knees in front of him. "And now your day of reward has finally dawned."

"I'm going to say that he looks like that, sweetie," Danni commented, looking up at the giant head in shock. She hadn't expected that at all. That was… well, it was impressive. They futuristic eyepatch gave him away, though, but she was sure the Vikings really wouldn't notice nor care about it.

The Doctor just shot her a look as he tried to get the Vikings back to paying attention to him. "Do not believe this foolish trickery!" He tried to bring his yoyo back up the string but it didn't work. "It's supposed to do that."

Odin, or whoever it was in the sky above them, continued as if the Doctor wasn't even there. "Your mightiest warriors will feast with me tonight in the halls of Valhalla!"

In a large ray of light, five large robots appeared. They had guns, and large heads that gave them a rather Judoon-like shape, Danni had to admit. The Doctor's arm went in front of her, slowly pushing her back out of the crowd as the Vikings took arms, ready to attack.

"Stay still. Stay very, very still," the Doctor told her quickly when they reached the back of the group.

"Who is that?" she asked. "Who would want to come invade a Viking town when they've got space travel?"

The Doctor watched the robots approach the Vikings, wondering for just a moment why they weren't shooting on sight. "No," he breathed. "This is a harvest. The strongest, the fittest. The weak and young, they'll leave behind."

The robots pushed one man out of the way before deciding that they had what they came for. All the Vikings who had captured the two Time Lords disappeared in the same teleport light that had brought the robots down in the first place.

"We have to not get chosen," the Doctor finished. Danni nodded, looking around. The villagers were screaming, terrified as the robots bore down on the rest, looking for anyone else they wished to harvest. She, on the other hand, had a gun in her pocket and not much else she could do. She wanted to help, they _had_ to help. But she needed to get the bloody manacles off.

Her eyes fell on the girl that the Doctor had been drawn to, who was holding half the sonic sunglasses tightly as if it would help.

"Danni, no!" the Doctor hissed but she darted over anyway, crouching down in front of the terrified girl.

"Hey, I need that," she said quietly, taking the lens out her hands without any resistance. She held it up to her own eye with one hand whilst looking down at the other wrist.

"What are you doing?" the girl asked. Danni looked back up and smiled at her.

"I'm going to help," she replied. "Don't you worry, alright?"

"Danni!" the Doctor called, trying to get her back to his side. Running over would pull attention to himself, and to her, as the robots seemed to have missed her little movement over to the girl. He couldn't risk that happening again.

It wasn't until she set off the sunglasses, quickly unlocking the manacles that he realised what she was actually doing. By the time he did, it was already too late. He had thought she'd seen the young girl and run over to comfort her, after all she had never been able to stand children crying. Instead she had been trying to free herself and the robots quickly caught the buzz of the technology.

He rushed over. "Danni!"

In another flash of light both the young girl and Danni disappeared, leaving only her manacles in their wake. The robots disappeared in their own light and the Doctor was left to look up at the sky, horrified and in a full-blown panic as the villagers all tried to come to terms with what had happened.

 _~0~0~0~_

The first thing Danni noticed when she reappeared wasn't the fact that the young girl had been brought with her, nor the group of Vikings that they'd appeared in front of. She noticed the small metal room, with no immediately noticeable ways of escape. There was a large set of doors at one end but they were obviously tightly locked. She was trapped in yet another small room, where she didn't want to be, by someone who probably just wanted to hurt her.

She felt the panic starting to rise and her immediate thoughts were to get out of there as fast as possible.

"Welcome to Valhalla, my ladies," one of the Vikings greeted solemnly. Danni sneered at him.

"Oh, grow up," she snapped. She looked around on the floor for the half of the sunglasses but couldn't see them. She turned to the young girl.

"Have you got the-the eyepatch looking thing?" she asked the girl but it was obvious she hadn't. "No, of course not. Teleports, selective kidnappings. They would have taken it off us."

One Viking stormed behind them, the raid leader, and used his axe to open the door. All it let to was another corridor, but he held his arms up in triumph. He stepped into the hallway but Danni knew a trap when she saw one. It shouldn't have been that easy for him to open the doors.

"I wouldn't," she called but he just looked at her in amusement.

"There's nothing to fear, strange maiden," he cried as the sound of something powering up came from the fan-like decorations placed at intervals on the walls.

"You're going to die. Get out!"

"We are Odin's chosen!" he cried. As she had suspected, the fans on the walls weren't for cooling the air. Lightning shot out of all of them, hitting him and electrocuting him. He screamed in pain as the rest of the Vikings backed up. Danni watched as he disintegrated, leaving behind only his helmet and axe.

"Right, well, we can't escape that way," she stated. "Perhaps we could channel the…" There were a few thuds of machinery as cogs started to whir into life. They all started again as the wall behind them began moving in, pushing them all towards the door. The Vikings were quick to try and push the wall back into place but it didn't help.

Danni turned her back, looking through to the door on the other side. The ship had only beamed both her and the young girl up after she had used the sonic sunglasses to free herself. It hadn't been interested in either of them as they weren't particularly strong, not compared to the Viking warriors before them. They were in a spaceship which mean some alien tech. The sonic sunglasses were certainly alien tech.

She reached out, grabbing the young girl by the arm. She had a hunch. The Doctor usually worked of hunches.

"Come on!" she cried, pulling the girl through the hallway. The fans didn't whir into life, which meant her hunch was paying off. Whoever had picked them up would want to talk. She and the girl were safe.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do for the rest of the Vikings as they were finally pushed into the passage. She just turned to the girl as she grabbed the small gap in the doorway. "Get this open. Quick as you like!" she commanded, trying to pull one door towards her. The girl did the same, but the fans came into life and the room was suddenly charged with energy. Danni felt the door slowly give way and she shoved the girl through into the large room behind it. The Vikings' screams followed them out as they too were disintegrated, leaving nothing but helmets and weapons in their wake.

The young girl dropped to the ground, most likely out of shock than anything, and Danni quickly made sure she was alright before standing up. They were on some sort of processing floor. Around them seemed to be large metal containers spewing out smoke and steam and the floor was grating to allow for easy drainage. It wasn't in a style that Danni recognised, but then again was she supposed to remember every single species of alien and their manufacturing styles?

The girl groaned on the floor and Danni turned her attention back to her. She had been surprised to have been beamed up onto the spaceship, but that was an oversight on her own part. She felt incredibly guilty that the girl had been brought up with her. She'd had to witness half her village being wiped out in seconds. It was cruel and could have been avoided if she'd just waited a few more seconds before unlocking her shackles.

There was nothing she could do now, though, but make sure the girl got back to her family. She crouched down next to her and gave her a shake. "Wakey-wakey," she called gently. "We don't have time to lie around."

The girl's eyes opened, blinking in confusion and Danni shot her a winning grin. "There we go," she praised, helping her to her feet. "Just a quick power nap. Maybe not the right place for it, but they're always good."

Danni took a look around again. If she could find some sort of controls, maybe she could broadcast her giant head into the sky like the fake Odin had done. She could get a message to the Doctor that way. Her attention was caught, though, by a machine depositing green liquid into vials. She frowned, walking over and flicking one. The glass clinked but nothing made any more sense to her. Could she steal one?

"Why are we still alive?" the girl asked, horrified. Danni walked back over to see her looking into the hallway at what remained of the people in her life. She was devastated and what was Danni supposed to say? 'Because we're more of interest than your friends and family'?

"Because of this." They both turned around to see the fake Odin stood there, flanked by two of his robots, holding the half of the sonic sunglasses that Danni had been using. "Explain."

The girl was just terrified, which meant Danni had to do some pretty quick thinking. She stepped forward, shooting him a giant grin.

"Hi," she greeted cheerfully. "Nice to meet you face to face. Well, I guess, more face to not-so-giant-face-in-the-sky." She pointed at him. "Loved that, by the way. Brilliant show. I'm going to have to steal it for my next big entrance."

"Explain or I will kill you both," Odin threatened. Danni shook her head.

"No, you won't," she replied. "That is one half of my husband's sonic sunglasses. He's all about wearable technologies these days. Well, I can see you are too." She motioned to his face and the eyepiece he was wearing. "I'm going to guess that you couldn't tell what it was, otherwise you wouldn't be asking. Also, if you couldn't tell what it was but knew it was something special, it means," she grinned, "ours is better than yours."

She reached into her jacket pocket to feel her gun. "So, we're both new kids on the block. However, you're trying to start a fight that you can't win." She held the gun out, letting it dangle downwards so he could see that she wasn't about to shoot him. The robots did step forward but he motioned to stop them. "Give this a scan with your fancy tech and tell me that I'm not a threat." He stared intently at her for a moment and Danni did her best to seem as cool and collected as she needed to be.

"These people may not be any match for you, but I am," she finished. "Take your ship and leave, and we won't speak any more about it." She didn't even flinch as another robot appeared, walking up to Odin and handing him a green vial. "Sorry? Is this a bad…" She trailed off, looking over her shoulder, past the girl and at the helmets that littered the passageway door. "Oh." She turned back as he broke the top off. "I see," she drawled. She felt angry, actually angry and that wasn't something she felt very often when on the behalf of other people. "You pick up the strongest of the land, grind them up into powder and drink them up, don't you? Your own little steroid supplement."

"Adrenaline. Testosterone extracted from the finest warriors," Odin confirmed before downing the green glowing liquid in one gulp.

The girl stepped forward. "They what?"

"Shut up," Danni hissed to her before addressing Odin again. "But you don't think you can win when you face them, do you?" she continued. "Otherwise why pretend to be God and beam them up and out of the way?"

"What is a god but the cattle's name for farmer? What is heaven but the gilded door of the abattoir?"

Danni snorted in derision. "You're no god," she dismissed. "You're not even a thief. You're just afraid."

"I have nothing to fear," the man replied. Danni smirked.

"Yes you do," she replied. "And she's standing right in front of you. If you need a new hit, go somewhere else. There's plenty of warriors in the universe who can give you your next dose of war hormones."

The young girl moved to Danni's side. "I don't understand," she said. "Ground them up? What are you saying?"

"Seriously, shut up," Danni replied lowly. The girl just needed to stay quiet a little longer. "You don't need to fight us. We're not going to chase you. We have better things to do with our time. Just take your ship and leave."

"War is out way," Odin replied with a sickly grin.

"You think you've seen war. You've no idea," Danni snarled. "The Last Great Time War burns in my husband's veins. We've both done things you won't ever believe. This war won't be yours to win. You'll be remembered as the man who lost. Do you really want that?"

"Yes!" the Viking girl cried and Danni's head snapped around to look at her. The girl obviously was trying to seem intimidating, but all Danni saw was someone angry and mourning. "You'll pay for what you have done here today," she continued as she walked to stand in front Odin. "I am a Viking. Ashildr, daughter of Einarr. You have mocked our gods. Killed our warriors. And we will crush you on the field of battle."

"That's better!" Odin replied as his blood lust was suddenly being riled up again. Danni strode forward.

"No, no it's not," she exclaimed. "There is no need for this. Just turn around and walk away."

"You almost had me talking," Odin replied, ignoring her words. Danni suddenly felt like she was in a losing battle herself. "Talk is for cowards."

"War is for the foolish," she retorted. "Talk is for the people who will survive! Please, just leave!"

Odin addressed Ashildr, ignoring Danni and the gun that she now held limply in her hand. "I accept your challenge."

"We will crush you!" Ashildr promised.

Danni looked over her shoulder at Ashildr. "Oh, for God's sake will you please shut up you stupid little girl?" she scolded. "You don't know what you're getting into!"

"Shall we say this time tomorrow?" Odin asked Ashildr. "Ten of my warriors versus the best of your village."

"You will beg for mercy!" Ashildr promised.

Odin chuckled, obviously amused and a little bit fond of the fight in the young girl. "I will send you back. You can inform your people of their impending destruction."

"What are you trying to achieve here?" Danni asked tiredly, not at all surprised by the lake of value in life the man was showing. "What is the point?"

"Why else? The joy of war!" he crowed. "Can't you see it on my face?"

Ashlidr's eyes widened in horror as Odin lowered what appeared to be a hologram, revealing his true face. Danni had seen many aliens so the many teeth and strange skin didn't bother her, but she was glad that Ashildr was finally seeing what she'd done to her village.

"Said like a man who has never been to actual war," Danni snarled. "There is no joy. No one wins, and neither will you."

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor stared up at the sky for longer than he could actually recall. There was no sign in the sky of the giant head pretending to be a god, nor of a spaceship of any kind which meant that the teleport had to have gone quite far away. He had no way of telling because he didn't have his sunglasses, because half of them was still by the TARDIS and the other one was up on the spaceship with his wife.

Watching her disappear in front of him reminded him of that moment when he realised Missy had captured her. A sudden, deep and terrifying realisation that he had no way of getting to her and no way of helping her. All that he had this time was the knowledge that this _wasn't_ Missy and that she hadn't been taking because of a ridiculous need to keep her as a pet, but rather because she was of interest. And, because she was of interest, she could talk herself into surviving until he could get to her.

He moved over to what appeared to be the beginnings of a new longboat. The Viking woodworker of the village had been carving up a large piece of wood into a rather ornate dragonhead. It wouldn't be done for a long time, but it was giving him an idea. If he could get back to the TARDIS then he could get onto the ship and save her and everyone else.

But the boat wasn't going anywhere. There was another waiting for him, but even he couldn't paddle a longboat built for a Viking raid all on his own. It would also take days for him to get back to the TARDIS even if he could.

"They took half the village," one man commented.

"Yeah, and it was the good half," another man grumbled. He looked up to see a balding man glare at his two friends.

"They went willingly to Valhalla as would we all," he replied firmly, as if they shouldn't be ashamed of.

"I wouldn't," replied a man whose beard had be braided into two small plats. The rest of the village stared at him. "Well, I wouldn't," he defended. He pointed up at the sky. "I'm not good with heights."

The Doctor quickly became annoyed at their bickering. He was trying to think and their acceptance at the what had happened was frustrating. "Oh, stop it! All of you, stop it right now," he stormed over, the village a perfect way for him to vent that frustration of feeling useless. "Homo sapiens, you're an intelligent species. Stop lying to yourselves."

The bald man stood his ground. "Choose your words carefully, False Odin."

It sounded like an accusation. One the Doctor was more than willing to bear. "Yes, I am a false Odin. That's exactly right, I lied," he agreed before pointing at the very small cloud cover above them. The big fella in the sky, he lied too. You all know it. Because what's the one thing that gods never do?" he asked, as if he was expecting an answer. "Gods never actually show up!" He looked around but no one would look him in the eye. They knew he was right, but he didn't have time to wait for them to admit it. "Guess what? You got raided. Guess what else?" He strode away, looking up at the sky. Danielle was up there somewhere, he just had to work out where. "I lost someone who matters to me."

The bald man, angry, walked right up to him. "So did I," he snarled. The Doctor frowned, looking over the man who looked both hopeless yet had enough fight in him to argue with the guy claiming to be a god.

"The young girl," he started in realisation.

"My daughter," the man replied. "Ashildr."

The Doctor suddenly felt less inclined to have a confrontation with the man as he recognised the worry and pain in his eyes. They both wanted the same goal; their family back.

He nodded. "Let's work out what to do, then," he declared. "I've got… give me a moment." He reached into his pocket, rummaging around. His yoyo had been all but useless, which probably meant that his spare non-sonic sunglasses weren't going to impress them either.

He pulled out a book he'd been reading. He always carried a bit of reading material in case he and Danielle were trapped somewhere for a ridiculously long time. She had always enjoyed reading and that hadn't changed. This time around, though, she was much more drawn to non-fiction books.

He tapped the spine of it a couple of times. It was a book about infamous races across time and space. Whoever it was in the sky could, quite possibly, be in there. He pointed the book at the father.

"I have a plan," he told the man. The same way he'd told Danni when he was making it up as he went along. It wasn't as if he didn't have a plan. He just didn't have a plan _yet._

He settled down to read his book, instructing no one to disturb him until he found out what he was looking for. He took a seat near the spot where Danielle had been taken and he used the best weapon in the universe; a book.

He looked up at the sound of a teleport. Danni and Ashildr were dropped to the floor in a flash of light. His whole being was flooded in relief and he was off his chair like a shot. As he quickly made his way towards his wife, though, he slowed as she stood up, pulling Ashildr off the ground. She looked furious.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" she demanded of the little girl, who looked ashamed of herself. "Any idea at all? All you had to do was shut up!"

"Danielle?" the Doctor said, confused, and she looked over at him.

"The Vikings are dead," she declared, much to the horror of the villagers. "He disintegrated them to make Viking juice out of their testosterone. And _she_ ," she motioned to Ashildr, who ran to her father's welcoming arms, "she's just waged war on him!"


	27. The Viking Fight

The Doctor had explained what the creature Danni had seen was. The Mire were, apparently, quite infamous warriors across the galaxy. They were practical and got what they wanted before leaving. Which was what Danni had tried to get them to do. She'd tried so hard to get them to just leave. They'd gotten what they wanted so what was the point in staying? They may have been bloodthirsty, but even they had been smart enough to know when a battle wasn't worth fighting.

Of course, she hadn't banked on Ashildr deciding that just leaving wasn't good enough. And she hadn't banked on the Mire agreeing with her. She had been so close to getting them to leave.

The Doctor had moved them into one of the sheds so that they could explain the situation. He'd kept close by her side, watching her, making sure she didn't leave his sight again. It wasn't something she was planning on doing. She didn't want to return to the ship. Or, in fact, go into the shed. She wanted to go home.

"They're coming tomorrow," she explained to the small gathered group. It was probably all that was left of the village. "Ten of them. They'll kill you all without much thought."

Einarr, Ashildr's father, looked to his daughter. "Ashildr, is this true?"

The girl nodded. "It's my fault," she replied solemnly.

"Not every misfortune that befalls this village is down to you," the man told her, exasperated, as if she always said this. He walked over to her, sitting down and wrapping an arm around her before he looked up at the Doctor. "She thinks she brings us bad luck."

"This is her fault, though," Danni replied firmly. Her arms were crossed across her chest as she leant against the pillar nearest the exit. "She's the one who declared war on them."

The Doctor looked at her. "Danielle," he whispered in warning. She looked up at him, her frustration on her face.

"What?" she retorted. "She challenged them to war even though she'd seen their warriors ground up into dust. I'm sorry if you believe differently, but that is _not_ good luck. They are going to _die_ tomorrow."

A large man, with a beard and ridiculously deep voice, stood up, pointing towards the sky. "She's right. We are about to be attacked by…"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes," the Doctor repeated, cutting him off. "With a whole day to spare!" He turned away from Danni, who had just rolled her eyes. Her coldness towards the situation was definitely a defence mechanism, he'd lived long enough to spot one a mile away. But her willingness to just accept their fate was a bit strange. It was something he usually did, not her.

"So leave!" he continued. "Hop it, take off! Into the woods, split up, hide. Hang about there for a week, come back home, make puddings and babies. That's basically what you do, isn't it?"

Einarr stood back up again "We cannot leave this village," he said lowly.

"Yes, you can," the Doctor corrected. It was their only choice at this point. "Just pick a direction. Fly like a bird, run like a nose. That's probably a Viking saying, I haven't checked that."

"No. We will fight!" the large deep-voiced man cried. The crowd cheered their agreement.

"Really?" Danni said incredulously. "Because all of your warriors, your fighters, the people who might have stood a bloody chance have been turned into juice! They left you behind because you're _weak_. Do you really think you actually stand a chance?!"

Einarr has walked into the corner, coming back with an animal skin full of weapons. He chucked them to the floor where they clattered together. "We are Vikings!" he cried at the top of his voice. The crowd around him cheered again, getting to their feet, ready to join the glorious battle that had been presented to them.

The Doctor suddenly understood why Danni was so angry. It wasn't the fact that a young girl had declared war - a young girl who was in shock and heavily grieving – it was the fact that she knew that they'd all be determined to actually go through with it. He was looking at a room full of dead people.

He turned to Danni, who looked one step away from just walking out. He was tempted to follow, but there was a reason she hadn't already left even though she was trying to show everyone that's what she wanted to do. There was a reason that he hadn't left either. Neither of them wanted to village to die. They wanted to save them.

"Okay," he turned back to the villagers, "tell me this. How many people here have actually held a sword in battle? By a show of hands?" He watched as they all suddenly lost their enthusiasm, sitting down, all quiet and chastised. The Doctor and Danni both raised their hands. "The Mire are coming," he picked up a sword, "for each and every one of you." He pointed the sword at a few of the Viking villagers before chucking it to the ground again. "So what you going to do? Raise crops at them?"

The large man stood up. "If necessary!"

His friend leant around him. "I think he was being sarcastic," he said, causing the Doctor to turn on the spot. It really was too frustrating. Why were humans so intent on getting themselves killed?

"We're not cowards," Einarr declared. "We do not run. A death in battle is a death with honour."

As the crowd cheered on what appeared to be their new leader, a baby started to cry. It caught not only his attention but the attention of everyone in the room. He watched Danni tense. She'd never been able to stand a child crying. Neither had he.

"Do babies die with honour?" he asked them. He turned, placing a hand on the pillar Danni leant against, closing his eyes to listen to the baby. " _I am afraid, Mother. Hold me, Mother. I am afraid,_ " he translated. The room looked confused. It took a moment for Danni to understand why.

"Oh," she started. "He speaks Baby." A lot of them just seemed to accept this, and no one dared to speak up and interrupt him.

" _Turn your face towards me, Mother, for you're…_ " He opened his eyes, letting out a little breathless chuckle. The mind of a child was so pure. " _For you're beautiful,_ " he continued. " _And I will sing for you. I am afraid, but I will sing._ "

Danni's temper flared up and she stepped forward, glaring at each and every one of the Vikings. "Babies do not die with honour," she snarled at them all. "Children only cry when they're scared, they do not fight. They do not know how. You are damning your children to a pointless, cruel and painful death. Your stupidity is sickening. Enjoy your 'honour'."

She turned and walked to the door. Ashildr jumped up, running after her. "Stay," she begged. "You could help I know you could."

Danni turned to look at her. She could see the fear in the girl's eyes. None of this was just. It was all pointless. "I tried to help," she explained. "We've both tried. It's your choice whether to take it and you won't. There's nothing else we can do."

The Doctor was quick to follow her out. "Danielle…" he started and she paused in the middle of the village green, turning to face him.

"We can't help them," she pointed out. "They don't want our help. We should just get back to the TARDIS."

He also fell to a stop. "Is that what you really want?" he asked.

"Of course not," she replied. "I don't _want_ anyone to die. I've never wanted anyone to die." She straightened slightly, seeing the way his eyes darted away from her. "You think I do!" she accused. "You think I want this!"

"No I don't," he replied but she didn't seem to believe him. He took a step closer and she took a step back, hurt. He hated that. He took another step forward, smiling kindly to try and show how sincere he was being. "I don't, Danni. I'd never think that."

She pressed her lips together for a moment. Maybe she'd just imagined the judgement in his eyes. She'd been expecting it for so long that, now he knew even a little bit of what she'd done it was all she could see.

"What could we even do?" she asked in reply. "You know what people like the Mire are like. Harriette Jones blew up the Sycorax and you said the same thing then; it opens the universe up to everyone out there. If it's not the Mire, it's someone else."

"Until everyone dies," he finished. He placed his hands in his pocket. "Ripples into tidal waves."

"Our whole lives are tidal waves," Danni replied with a little smile. She always smiled when she thought on their life together. "We've not exactly been quiet, have we? I can't keep watching people die, Theta."

He felt exactly the same. The people inside were not just waiting to die, they were running towards their demise. He didn't want to stick around and witness these humans die. They'd both struggled through it on Trenzalore when people, whether through old age or through fighting, would die with war around them. He didn't want to do it again.

The baby started crying again and both of them looked away, unable to comprehend how terrified the baby was. Danni looked up as the Doctor paced back and forward, torn between what he wanted to do and what was most practical.

"Is she still scared?" she asked him

He nodded. "Babies sense danger. They have to." He shifted slightly, almost ashamed at what he was hearing.

She took a step closer. "Share it with me," she said softly. "Don't hold it in on your own."

" _Mother, I hear thunder. Mother, I hear shouting. You are my world, but I hear other worlds now,"_ he said in a rush, as if he didn't want to hear the baby's words at all. " _Beyond the…_ " he paused for a moment, " _unfolding of your smile, is there other kindness? I'm afraid. Will they be kind? The sky is crying now. Fire in the water._ " His brows furrowed. " _Fire in the water?_ "

He closed his eyes, the words wounding him more than he was probably willing to admit. The baby stopped crying as Danni watched him change him mind from reluctantly leaving to reluctantly staying.

She sighed in resignation. He always tried to fight being nice. He always failed. "Fine."

He opened his eyes, looking bewildered. "What is?"

"Staying. We'll stay," she conceded. "We're already more of a storm than a tidal wave. What's one village?" She leant up to kiss his cheek but he turned his head, catching her lips in a chaste kiss. She smiled against his lips.

"How did you…"

"Because there's something me and crying children have in common," she replied. "We know you'll never walk away when they're crying." She started walking away, heading towards the boathouse.

"Where are you going?" he called after her.

"For a walk," she replied. "It'll give you a chance to come up with a plan instead of just saying you have one!"

She could tell that the baby's words had caught her husband's attention, but that he couldn't work out why. She had an idea, though. There was only a couple of places in a Viking Village where water would be kept.

She smiled to herself, opening the door and seeing the barrels full of eels. She walked over to sit next to one, watching them swim in the barrels. Fire in the water. What a clever child.

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor didn't have a plan. The village would never will again the Mire and they weren't going to leave to save themselves. Without his sonic glasses, or the TARDIS, he really didn't have much to offer in terms of help. All he had was the ability to at least train them up so they didn't feel useless as they battled to their 'honourable' deaths.

Danni watched from the side lines as he lined them up, gave them all ridiculous nicknames, and did his best to show them how to use wooden swords. He had tried with metal ones to begin with but… well, there _was_ a reason that none of the people left behind were warriors. Not everyone was built to face battle, after all.

Her gun sat in her jacket pocket, pressed against her side, always reminding her that she was armed. She could defend herself. The problem was, though, that she'd never have stuck around this long when she was running. She wouldn't have needed to use the gun against the Mire because she never would have faced them one-to-one. As it was, she could have probably gotten a few shots in, but definitely not enough to save herself or anyone else.

Ashildr sat next to her to watch the training. She was too young to join in, even though she was the one who had declared the war in the first place. Even Danni agreed with that.

"Swords against those creatures. That won't work, will it?"

She was looking up at Danni like she held all the answers. Danni looked back to her husband, who looked ready to walk away from them all. "No, they won't," she said bluntly. "He never claimed that they would, though. He just doesn't know what to do yet."

"What if he doesn't know what to do in time?" Ashildr asked.

Danni watched her husband show a couple of basic stances with the swords. He was making it up as he went along.

"If anyone can think of the plan right now, it's the Doctor," she explained. "If he can't they you never had any hope to begin with. If he does, you'll never stop telling stories about him."

"What about you?" Ashildr asked curiously. "He followed you out. You said you were a match for them."

"I was talking big to try and get them to leave," Danni explained. "I might think of something, though. The closer to crisis, the better thinkers we both are. We just need time."

 _~0~0~0~_

The clouds were red with the setting sun. Thunder rang through the air and the Doctor looked up at the sky with a thoughtful frown. Inside the Vikings were having a lively feast to celebrate the upcoming battle. They really thought that they had a chance. Or, at the very least, believed they did.

Danni came outside to find her husband. She'd given him enough time to his thoughts, now he needed someone to talk at. She sat down next to him and looked up at the sky.

"That's pretty convenient thunder," she commented after they sat in silence for a while.

"That's not thunder," he explained. "It's the weapon forges of the Mire. They're making sure we hear them."

She looked up at the sky as well. "Of course," she drawled. She placed her hands behind her, leaning backwards on the bench. "Given up yet?"

He sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes. "Heidi faints at the mention of blood, not just the sight any more. He's actually upgraded his phobia. Chuckles - he questions every single order you give him, which is going to be a little bit difficult, a little bit tricky, in the heat of battle."

Danni nodded along, having been there when the village had almost been burnt to the ground because of a head injury. It had been a trying couple of hours and had not raised either of their confidences that the village stood a chance against the Mire.

"Honestly, if it was up to me, we'd turn and walk away right now," she admitted bluntly. "I don't want any of them to die. I want to help if I can. My instinct is to turn and walk away." She looked up at him. "What's your instinct telling you?" she asked. "Because I know that turning them all into fighters isn't in your instincts. You never were like that."

"Maybe I've always been like that," he replied. She wrinkled her nose.

"Really?" she asked. "You're going to pull that card? Because I have a multitude of stories that can tell you otherwise." He looked away from her so she sighed heavily. "Alright. Davros on the Crucible. You thought everyone was a warrior, but they weren't fighting, they were giving chances. Remember that?"

"That's just one…"

" _And_ don't even get me started on Amy and Rory. You were devastated at the thought that they'd turned military in that weird-arse time merge universe after River refused to kill you."

"Alright, alright…"

" _And_ you spent quite a lot of time on Trenzalore convincing those who wanted to help fight to stay behind and use their skills instead. You had me working as a teacher's assistant. I could have easily joined you."

He turned in his chair. "Now that's not fair," he protested. "I told you to take the teacher's position when it became available. You're the one who didn't want that responsibility."

She smiled, happy to get a reaction from him that wasn't just despair. "My point is that you've never been one to just let everyone fight it out. It's not your instinct. What is your instinct telling you?"

He turned his attention back to the sky. "I don't know," he admitted lowly. It was true. He didn't _want_ to train them for battle, but what choice did he have? He couldn't just walk away and he couldn't offer any more assistance.

The door opened behind them and Ashildr stepped out, obviously heading home for the evening. Danni was rather relieved to see this. The sounds of the Vikings inside suggested they were just going to get a lot rowdier as the night went on.

"Sorry," the girl said, head bowed slightly as she headed on.

"That's alright, sweetie," Danni offered. The girl looked slightly surprised at the kind greeting.

"Night," the Doctor offered. Ashildr looked back over her shoulder at him as she headed home. Both of them still seemed drawn to each other.

"She's a good kid, really," Danni said. "I was a bit mean to her."

"You were just frustrated that you couldn't stop the war," the Doctor dismissed. They fell back into silence as they watched Ashildr disappear into her home.

"They'll die fighting with honour," the Doctor offered as a reason to continue the training right up until the battle. "To a Viking, that's all the difference in the world."

Danni nodded. Honour did seem to be a big thing to the Vikings. "I don't want an honourable death," she declared, much to his surprise. "I want a good death. An honourable death implies it could be prevented. If I die, I want it to be a last resort."

She leant on his arm and he shifted so he could hold her closer. "I don't want you to die at all," he told her.

"Yeah, well, why don't we both survive and save this village while we're at it?" she offered as a compromise. "You're giving them what they want but not what they actually need. Maybe you should focus on that instead."

"You sound like the TARDIS," he grumbled. She giggled.

"Well, she's normally right. Maybe you should listen," she countered. Up in the sky the clouds continued to swirl around. "The stars won't be out tonight. That's a shame."

"It is," he agreed. "What if I don't come up with a plan, my Pet?"

She smiled at him. "You will," she replied. "You _are_ , you've just not heard the right words yet to trigger that brain of yours."

"You don't seem to be jumping to help. You're infinitely smarter than I am," he pointed out.

"I am," she agreed cheekily. "It's not my style to show you up. I want our marriage to last, after all." He just raised an eyebrow and she looked back at him innocently. "Worked out what 'Fire in the Water' meant?"

He was surprised, just for a moment, that she knew that the baby's words were floating around his head. Then, he realised, it wasn't much of a surprise at all. "Probably just a story that she was being told to calm her down."

Danni nodded slowly in agreement, although she knew that he didn't believe that at all. She'd give him a little longer to work it out. She stood up, placing a kiss on his hair like he would do to her. And, like she would do, he leant into the small show of affection.

"I'm going for another walk," she told him. "Let you clear your head."

"So much faith, my Pet," he said.

"Very well deserved, sweetie."

 _~0~0~0~_

" _So, we meet again, Fake Odin. Valhalla burns around you, your army is destroyed and now it is time for you to die!_ "

Ashildr, Viking Warrior, brought her stave down onto Fake Odin. He cried with the effort of stopping her heavy blows, but she fought his off with ease. He may have killed her people, her friends and family, but he was a fool to think that he stood a chance against the village. Metal clanged against metal as she brought him down to his knees.

Or, she would have, had he not have been a wooden model of the real Odin and her stave be nothing more than a wooden stick. In her mind, though, she was winning the battle and the war.

She started, though, when someone cleared their throat. She turned, eyes wide and incredibly embarrassed to see the Doctor stood behind her.

"How long have you been there?" she asked quietly. The Doctor didn't seem to mind, instead rushing over to the wooden model.

"What's that? Is that a puppet? Oh, I love puppets!" He examined it closely, taking in all of the little details that the girl had put on the puppet. She'd obviously done this before.

"I make puppets sometimes, when I'm…"

"Frightened?" the Doctor finished. She nodded.

"When the raiding parties go out, I make up stories about their battles," she explained to him.

"Because if you make up the right story, then you think it will keep them safe and they'll all come home. That's okay. You're not the first person to ever have done that," he promised her. He'd done it himself. It had come in handy when he'd first been looking for Danielle, to save her from Missy's clutches. He couldn't think of the horror she was going through so he thought of better things for her to experience.

"Why are you here?" Ashildr asked him, because she'd come home for some alone time, not to be watched.

Why was he there? Because Danielle was right. He needed a better plan for the village because fighting was only going to make them all dead. He just wasn't sure what that was yet. He'd felt drawn to Ashildr when he'd first seen her. It was a meeting that he felt he'd already had. His working theory was that she was the key to his idea, he just wasn't sure how yet. "I'm looking for something I'm missing," he replied. "What do you think our chances are tomorrow?"

She looked down, taken out of her glee at defeating Fake Odin and into reality again. "We will be cut down like corn. By this time tomorrow, every single one of us will be dead."

He shrugged. What else was there to say but that?

"Yeah." He sat down, picking up a book from the table and flicked through it. The pictures were very nice, but he was sure he'd read the story before. "You could go," he commented, hoping she would take the suggestion. Perhaps he could just save someone, even if he failed to save everyone else.

"There's nowhere for me except here. This is my place. The sky, the hills, the sea, the people. Is there nowhere like that for you?"

"Oh, we like a nice view as much as anyone, me and my Danni-Girl," he replied, putting the book down.

"But?"

"Well, she doesn't like to stay still," he explained before smiling. "And I can't wait for the next one."

The look in her eye made him feel incredibly defensive. People always looked down on their lack of a fixed home, but he never saw it as anything but a blessing. He'd love to have Gallifrey back, as glorious as it had once been, but their life was definitely nothing one to be pitied. And yet, there it was.

"I pity you," she told him. He stood up.

"I will mourn for you," he said before shooting her a pointed look. "I know which I'd prefer."

He needed to find Danielle. He had hoped that Ashildr could have sparked something inside of him, but evidently not. He was at his best when he was musing out loud to his wife so maybe that was the best he went back to what he knew. If he was going to live up to her faith then he really needed to get onto to.

As he walked towards the door, Ashildr stepped forward. "You think they're all idiots, don't you?"

"What, you mean the rest of the universe? Basically, yes, I do," he agreed.

"But they're kind and brave, and strong, and I love them."

"Good. Good. But that won't save you," the Doctor replied firmly.

"I've always been different. All my life I've known that. The girls all thought I was a boy. The boys all said I was just a girl. My head is always full of stories." He smiled kindly. Maybe she wasn't going to say something to trigger an idea, maybe he just thought he knew her because she sounded like he had felt as a child. His head always in the stars, away from where he was 'supposed' to be. "I know I'm strange. Everyone knows I'm strange. But here I'm loved. You tell me to run to save my life. I tell you that leaving this place would be death itself."

She looked terrified, but completely at peace with what she was saying. This was her home, and this was her family. He really had to admire that.

Einarr entered, pulling her daughter into a hug, sharing a bonding moment as they both faced their impending deaths. The Doctor felt like he was intruding and suddenly realised why people looked away when he kissed his wife. He wasn't fond of the 'third wheel' feeling.

He frowned at the sound of the baby, who was still crying, trying to get her message of fear across. "Is that baby getting closer?" He looked out of the door into the village and saw Lofty, one of his less adapt charges, walking across the dark green holding a baby. "Why has Lofty stolen a baby?" he asked, suddenly rather panicked. None of the people he had tried to train should have been trusted with a baby.

"That's his child," Ashildr replied, much to his surprise.

"Oh," he said. "Where's he taking her?"

"The boathouse. He takes her to the boathouse when she won't settle. She likes the fish," the girl explained.

That hit him like lightning. Something about this information stoked the fire in him that had been smouldering, waiting for a plan. "Why would she…" His eyes widened. That was it. That was what the baby had been trying to tell them. "Fire in the water!" he cried, turning and running out. "Danni!" he cried. "Danni, that's it! That's what I've been missing! Danni!"

He rushed through the open door of the boathouse, startling Lofty as he went to the first large barrel. Exactly what he'd expected. Fire in the water.

"Lofty!" he greeted happily. "I had no idea that was your baby. Hello, baby, I had no idea this was your junior parent…" He turned to rush over and saw Danni stood with the tall man, looking at him with a smirk on her face.

"Finally got it?" she asked him as he shook his head in disbelief.

"What are you…" he started.

"Fire in the water?" she reminded. "Doesn't make any sense at all, does it? Fire is bright and warm. Fire can't burn in water. So it must have been the light." She looked into the barrel she was stood next to. "If I was the offspring of a civilisation that hadn't heard of electricity, I would think this was fire too."

"How long have you known?" he asked her.

"Since you translated it," she replied. He shook his head again, still not quite computing how she had come to the realisation before he had.

"I thought you weren't showing me up?" he challenged. She placed a hand on her hip, looking a little offended.

"You came here all on your own, didn't you?" she countered. "I wanted to give you a little longer before I told you the answer. You'll never learn if I do."

He couldn't do much else that laugh. He pulled her close, wrapping her up in his arms and pressing his forehead against hers. He still had to dip his head down quite low, but he didn't care. "You're infuriatingly amazing," he told her bluntly. She nodded against him.

"I am," she agreed. "How's that hope doing now, Spaceman?"

He grinned widely. "Better than ever!"

 _~0~0~0~_

It had taken emptying all of his pockets – even the inside pocket which he reserved only for things of extra importance like his jelly babies – before he'd found everything he needed. He'd even raided Danni's not-so-big pockets for a couple of rolls of wire and a small torch that she hadn't even realised was in there. Apparently she'd picked it up when she had been building a set of shelves. She had said the torch was going to help her line up where the shelves were going to be mounted. He hadn't questioned her logic, even if it made no sense to him.

This had to be why he had recognised Ashildr. Not because he hadn't met her yet but was going to, but because she was paramount in his plan to save them all. It had taken them all night, and him explaining the plan multiple to Heidi and Lofty, but everything was set up for when the Mire arrived. And, what was the best way to mark their arrival?

A party!

He even managed to get Danni dancing. Although she would only dance with him. He didn't mind, though, he only wanted to dance with her. They were in the middle of a rather cheerful number when the doors to the barn opened and the Mire stepped in, all of his warriors flanking him.

Danni had been surprised to find out that they weren't, in fact, robots but just more Mire in ridiculous armour. The helmets, according to the Doctor, were going to come in very handy. She was hoping that she could take one home with her when they were done so she could poke at the technology inside.

The Doctor came to a stop just in front of Fake Odin, acting like he'd only just spotted the warrior and hadn't been waiting for him to turn up at all. "Hey, hello, hi! I'm the Doctor. It's lovely to meet you face to er convincing hologram. You could always go 'buzz' and get rid of it," he waved his hands in front of his own face to illustrate removing the hologram but quickly changed his mind. "No? No, on second thoughts, don't. That, that, that suits you." He motioned to Danni. "You've met the wife already. She's been talking about seeing you again all night."

Danni shot him a lazy salute but Fake Odin looked around, baffled and annoyed at the scene. "It is time to fight," he declared.

"You see, the thing is… nah," Danni replied. "Fighting's no fun at all, really."

"So, we thought we'd just have a party!" the Doctor finished. The village cheered and continued to dance and play games.

"Let me put it another way," Fake Odin said. "You fight or you die."

"We're unarmed. There isn't a single weapon in this room. Which I'm sure your systems are telling you." The Doctor watched as Fake Odin looked around, scanning everyone, including his wife who had already shown him a weapon. He'd convinced her to stash her gun outside for the sake of the plan. She was already becoming a little bit less reliant on it, though. "You wouldn't open fire on unarmed civilians, would you?"

Fake Odin leant in a little closer. "It wouldn't be the first time," he snarled. This was the cue for everything to start. The Mire weren't just going to turn and walk away. They'd been given one chance and, as a lot of universe didn't do, they didn't take it.

Lofty threw one of the rings of wire the Doctor had created at one of the Mire warriors. It fell to the floor with a clang but the Mire looked up to find another one dangling from the ceiling. It reached up to investigate, which was the cue for the Doctor to tell Chuckles to play his part.

Electricity from the eels shot down the wire, electrocuting four of the Mire warriors. The villagers ran and the Doctor and Danni took shelter behind an overturned table. He looked at his wife and found her grinning.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" he accused playfully.

"I love watching you work," she countered. "Especially when fighting off the bad guys."

He couldn't contain his own wolfish grin as he called for Chuckles to set off the next batch of eels. These were directly connected to the anvils attached to the ceiling, turning them into a large magnet. The Mire's weapons and helmets shot up, revealing the rather scary-looking aliens underneath.

"Chuckles, off!" the Doctor cried. Einarr unplugged the wire connected to the anvils and everything dropped to the ground. The Doctor quickly dove for one of the helmets, pulling at the wires inside whilst Danni grabbed one of the guns that had dropped to the ground. She quickly aimed it at the Mire, standing in front of her husband so he could work.

"Stay right where you are," she warned. Fake Odin wasn't too happy that his soldiers were being out manoeuvred, so he sent the remaining fully-armoured creatures out after the villagers. They would be safe, though, because all they had to do was run.

The Doctor, Danni and the rest, though, weren't as safe. Danni glanced over her shoulder at her husband, who was quickly hacking his way through the helmet. "Are you going for the neuron synth…"

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I'm doing," he interrupted. "This isn't my first helmet hacking, you know?"

Danni turned back to look at the Mire. "I was just saying…" she murmured.

"I know, and you're very clever. I've just got to…" The helmet powered back up and he stood up, dragging it over to Ashildr, who was sat in a chair.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"Of course you are," Danni replied, keeping the two covered. "You'd be stupid not to be. But you're not stupid, and you can do this."

The Doctor nodded his agreement. He picked up the helmet. "Show them a story they'll never forget," he instructed gleefully before putting it on her.

What proceeded was a good, five minutes of hilarity. Ashildr's monstrosity of a wooden dragon was pushed into the room and she fed a story through to Fake Odin's eyepatch. What most people would have laughed at, he cowered away from like it was a giant beast ready to devour him. A tough warrior race terrified of a wooden model.

Of course, along with the torch, Danni had found a small camera in her pocket. So, of course, they'd recorded the entire event for the whole universe to see. And so, with the threat of his reputation being ruined, the Doctor sent him away with a quick buzz of Fake Odin's transporter necklace.

The village cheered, and both Danni and the Doctor felt so incredibly relieved. Danni couldn't believe that they'd pulled it off, but finally she felt like they'd done someone to help the village. And, once again, her faith in humanity had been restored for just a little while.

The Doctor looked over at his wife, who was smiling slightly as she talked to some of the villagers, mainly Heidi and Chuckles, and felt proud that this had gone well for her. Seeing her pull away, be cold and distant, didn't sit well. Regeneration could change people but there were limits, there were core parts of people that never changed. Danni's previous regeneration hadn't drifted too far from her original body and he knew that she hadn't drifted too far away from it now, either.

Now she was talking to people she would have dismissed. She was finding how she was going to make amends in her own life. He'd helped. He'd always help.

Danni turned from the happy folk and looked back at the young girl who saved them all. She hadn't really been fair in her treatment of Ashildr, but once again she'd been proven wrong. It was these situations she really didn't mind being shown that.

She frowned. She had been sat up straight, now she was slumped over. As everyone celebrated she made her way over to her. "Ashildr?" she said, crouching down next to her. She placed a hand on hers. She didn't even flinch. "Ashildr?"

Einarr heard her calling his daughter's name and rushed over. "Ashildr?" he tried. "Ashildr!"

Danni shot up off the ground. "Get it off her," she commanded. "Get it off her now." She helped Einarr pull it off, the pair dropping it as she fell off the chair. Einarr caught her, cradling her close. Danni checked for the feeling of her breathing, then moved to her neck to check her pulse.

Nothing. There was nothing. Danni looked up at the Doctor, who looked absolutely devastated. "She's dead," she stated lowly. Einarr was crying, hugging Ashildr as he did. The villagers were horrified and the Doctor couldn't look at his wife or anyone else anymore.

"I'm sorry," he breathed. "I'm really, terribly sorry."

And he turned and ran out, his hearts breaking for the poor girl who had just wanted to live out her life at home but had died because of him.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Thank you all for being so patient with me. I know my updates are a bit erratic as of late. Your lovely words do help, so thank you._

 _Don't forget Danni's Fifth Anniversary is coming up. Details about it are on my Tumblr page but you don't have to have Tumblr to participate, it's .com._

 _Until next time._


	28. The Viking Loss

The Doctor couldn't bare being in the room a moment longer, staring at a man clutching his dead daughter to his chest whilst his wife looked up at him for answers. He hadn't even considered… she was only a young girl…

He rushed out of the building before anyone could stop him, heading straight to the boathouse where he'd found the eels and his great idea. His great, wonderful, doozy of an idea that had killed a young girl because he thought he was 'clever'. The idea that would have worked perfectly had he not even thought twice about sacrificing Ashildr for it. Her imagination was powerful and that had been all he needed.

He looked down at his own reflection in the water. Once again he didn't feel like a hero, or that he'd even helped at all. He'd saved the town, but at what cost? He felt like he'd failed. He'd let her down. He'd let them all down. He couldn't save anyone.

Danni had waited a moment outside, giving him a chance to rage, or whatever he needed to do, before stepping inside. She walked over to him, standing as close as she felt he would be comfortable with. Being that frustrated and hurt could mean one of two things for a hug – it was either incredibly needed or incredibly trapping. So she stood by his side in silence, mourning Ashildr as he gathered his thoughts.

"This isn't your fault," Danni told him softly.

He scoffed. "I plugged her into the machine. Used her up like a battery," he retorted before sighing. "I'm so sick of losing."

"She saved her town. Her only home," Danni replied. "She had a good _and_ an honourable death. She wouldn't have seen that as a loss."

"She won't see it at all, will she?" he snapped back before hanging his head. "I'm sick of losing people."

"That's what people do," Danni said softly. "People can do more in twenty years than some people can do in eighty, that's what you said, remember? Her life may have been short, but they will talk about her for the rest of their lives. Her story will be passed down throughout generations. Ashildr will never have to leave her home because they'll all work to keep her here for the rest of its existence."

He looked up at her. He could tell she was hurting, but she had a brave face on. She was justifying it to herself. How many times had she had to do that before? How many times had she had to justify sacrificing someone to save a town, to save herself? He never wanted her to become someone he lost along the way.

"What would you do?" he asked her. "Now that she's saved the town, what would you do?"

Danni shrugged. "I'd go find where you've hidden my gun then go home," she replied. "There's no more help we can give, so why stay?"

Her dismissiveness might have been mistaken for coldness, but he knew someone running when he saw them. Danni had always been incredibly sensitive to death. This time it was coming through as cold and detached. He couldn't blame her for running. He was sorely tempted to as well.

He turned away from her, looking back into the reflection in the water. Danni watched, his pain hurting her as much as her own did. She still thought that what the girl had done was foolish but she hadn't deserved to die. She took a step towards the Doctor.

"You didn't use her up like a battery," she said softly. "You didn't put that helmet on her with even the notion that it might harm her. You saw her potential and the universe decided that it didn't care. She died. There's nothing you, or anyone, can do."

He turned to look at her. "I can do anything!" he shouted, jabbing himself in the chest. "There's nothing I can't do. _Nothing_. But I'm not supposed to. Ripples, tidal waves, _rules_. I'm not _supposed_ to interfere."

She wrinkled her nose. "Not supposed to interfere?" she repeated. "All you do is interfere. All _we_ do is interfere. It's like our job."

"But not when it matters," he countered. "Not when I could actually help. Not when I could save…"

Not when he could save the people he cared about. He couldn't go back and save the Ponds from being trapped in the past because he couldn't go back and warn them. He couldn't go back and stop Ashildr dying because that was what history had seen fit for her fate. He hadn't been able to just jump into the TARDIS and find his wife because _rules_ meant that he'd never be able to keep her. Eventually the universe would have just collapsed and saving her out of order would have been pointless. He had wanted her by his side and _alive_ , not erased completely.

Everything had such _big_ consequences. All he ever had done was try and make amends for the pain he had inflicted on the universe. He never wanted to save the town, sometimes one person was all that mattered.

His eyes widened, a thought striking him straight in his pre-frowned face. " _Oh_."

Danni's brows furrowed. She knew that look. "Oh?" she repeated. "What's 'oh'?"

He just stared at her. That's what Danni was doing. She wasn't trying to save one person, she was trying to save the town. She didn't want to stay around and help with Ashildr's death because she saw bigger ways of making amends, but she couldn't see the smallest gestures had the biggest impact because her new body had never been shown small gestures of kindness.

She didn't need to save everyone. She just needed to save _someone._

He rushed over to the water, looking at his face. The thought hit him again, hard and now he couldn't unsee it. Now he couldn't not remember a time, long ago, where he couldn't see the smallest gesture had meant the universe.

"My face…" he breathed.

"What?" Danni replied, still confused. "Theta, what's wrong? What are you on about?"

He stared at his reflection a moment longer, memories filling his mind. Thoughts of regenerating and being confused at the recognition, thoughts of a Roman family huddling together, terrified of dying.

He turned back to his wife. "I think I know why I chose it," he told her.

The Doctor had, at one point, told Danni about how he felt he recognised his face from somewhere else. Neither of them could ever place it, though, and so it had stayed a niggle at the back of his mind. But Donna Noble, the most important woman in the universe, came through centuries after he'd saved her in the most horrid way.

He had been trying to save the town. He only had to save _someone_. If he could show Danni that saving _one_ person could be the biggest thing you could do if you saved them right, then maybe she could find her own way to helping herself move on from Missy.

"I know where I got this face, and I know what it's for," he told her.

Danni nodded slowly, still baffled. "Alright," she said unsurely. "What's it for?"

"To remind me," he declared. "To hold me to the mark. To show me the way. I'm the Doctor, and I save people!" He looked up at the ceiling, as if he was addressing someone other than her. "And if anyone happens to be listening, and you've got any kind of a problem with that, to hell with you!"

She should have expected him to run out of the boathouse, and yet it still surprised her. She had absolutely no idea what had gotten into him, or why he suddenly had gained a rather manic look on his face. When he talked in vague sentences it was because he had an idea.

She quickly followed. "Will you stop running off?!"

 _~0~0~0~_

The village had laid out Ashildr beautifully. She had a fur underneath her as she was lifted onto a table, ready to be prepared properly for the Viking funeral that she truly deserved.

Or, rather, what she would have deserved had the Doctor had any inclination to let her stay dead. He didn't, though. He wasn't just determined to save her, he was manic with the need to bring her back to life. He'd taken a moment to think and then had grabbed the Mire helmet and got to work.

Danni didn't want to interrupt him, even though she wanted to know what he was doing. It seemed like he was just pulling apart the helmet but she wasn't sure what he was looking for. She didn't want to ask, though, because if he could save the girl then she wanted to leave him to it.

It hadn't occurred to her that the Mire might have something in the helmets to help them should they run out of power. It would make sense if they were all pumped up on Warrior Juice, to have a backup in case they suddenly ran out. Maybe some endorphins, or a quick shot of testosterone along with whatever it was that gave them their early morning 'umph'.

Einarr walked over to Danni's side, looking concerned at the man tinkering away by the body of his daughter. "What's he doing?" he asked lowly.

"I think he knows how to save her," Danni replied before she started chewing on her lip. "I think."

That was what the Doctor wanted them all to think. He wanted them to truly believe that he had a plan, when really he was just rummaging through the helmet, hoping that there was something that he could use. He couldn't lose someone else. He had to save her. He needed to save _someone_.

When he found the medical kit, he didn't even waste time feeling happy about it. Nothing would be better, nothing will be right, nothing could move on until he brought Ashildr back to life. Everything rested on him being able to make amends for his mistakes. He needed to save _someone_.

He was so manic that he didn't waste the time enjoying his discovery, nor waste time thinking on whether it was a good idea or not. He just pointed the remains of his glasses at it, quickly reprogramming it. He didn't let himself think about how it might just work a bit _too_ well. He wasn't certain on just how, exactly, it would affect Ashildr. He had very strong suspicions, though. Suspicions he pushed right to the back of his mind.

He stood up, holding the medical kit out to show both Danni and Einarr. "It's from the Mire helmet. Battlefield medical kit. I've reprogrammed it for human beings," he explained before placing it onto Ashildr's forehead. After a moment it disintegrated, absorbing into her skin as it got to work.

"It's gone," Einarr breathed, still amazed even in his grief. "It's inside her."

"It's repairing her," the Doctor replied, worrying his hands. Suddenly it felt more like a bad idea than a good one, but he held onto his hope tightly. "It will never stop repairing her, if it works." He leant down next to her. "Come on, Ashildr. Come on," he pleaded. "The story's not over yet."

Danni didn't watch the girl come back to life, taking in the deepest of breaths, barely conscious but very much alive. She watched her husband, who's words sat funny in her head.

It also didn't sit well when he gave Ashildr a second dose, not for her, but for someone else. If the medical kit had really healed her then what was the point?

The Doctor rushed them towards the door, almost pushing her out. She grabbed his arm, looking up at him with a furrowed brow. "What, exactly, did you do?" she asked him.

"I, er," he stuttered out. He needed to get as far away from the village as possible. He really might have just done something incredibly awful and he didn't want Danni to see the consequences of that. He needed time to think on it. "I saved her life," he declared. "We're two days sail away from the TARDIS, we really need to get going."

Danni could tell when he was trying to leave because he didn't want to hang around and talk to people, and when he ran away. They may have spent a long time apart but they'd spent longer together. She knew her husband and he was running.

But from what?

 _~0~0~0~_

The trip back to the TARDIS was very different to the one to the village. The stars had been incredibly romantic, the Vikings had struggled to keep the husband and wife apart. This time, though, even sat next to him Danni could tell he was still back in the village. He barely talked as he was lost in his own thoughts, so all it had left Danni to do was think as well.

And think she did. So much so that, as their beautiful blue box came into view, she was stuck thinking about one thing. Over and over in her head until, finally, as they were almost home, she stopped.

The Doctor, who hadn't even been walking by her side let alone holding her hand, also paused when he realised he couldn't the crunch of the leaves and undergrowth underneath her boots. He turned to look at her. "Danielle?"

"What did you do?" she asked him. "To Ashildr. What did you do?" The guilt on his face echoed the same expression she'd seen on the longboat. She took a step closer. "You said that the patch was going to repair her. That it wouldn't _stop_ repairing her," she prompted.

He started to worry his hands together. "I did say that, yes," he confirmed.

"And you said that the second patch was for whoever she wanted to give it to. Why would she want to give it to anyone?" she pressed. "What, exactly, did you do? Because a body that doesn't stop repairing is like ours, isn't it? One that regenerates."

"It will just keep fixing her," he replied guiltily. "It's entirely possible she has lost the ability to die."

Danni blinked for a moment. She had expected him to deny it or tell her how she was mistaken and explain what had _actually_ happened to her in a tone of voice that may or may not suggest she was a bit of an idiot. She hadn't expected him to confirm what she had thought was true.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. Instead of feeling happy and grateful that Ashildr was alive now, she felt furious that she had been forced into something when she'd had no say on it. "You've made her immortal?" she asked him lowly.

He couldn't look her in the eye. He knew how she'd felt about the issue of 'immortality'. He hadn't been truly thinking about any of that, though, when he'd saved Ashildr. "Barring any accidents, yes."

She turned away, walking from him, trying to calm down before turning back to him, eyes blazing. "Seriously?!" she exclaimed. "What the hell, Theta?! You _know_ what functional immortality is like! We're both stuck on that path! We both have to sit back and watch everyone else die. Why the _hell_ would you do that to her?"

"She didn't deserve to die," he protested weakly. Even his own arguments felt a bit pathetic and he knew what they were.

"No one deserves to die. People just die," Danni countered. "She had a _good_ death. She saved her village, her people. Immortality is not a fair trade off for that." She looked ready to either wring his neck or put her face in her hands, he couldn't tell which and she didn't seem to be able to decide. "Is that it now? Barring accidents it's just going to be me, you, Ashildr and Jack…" She shook her head. "Not even Jack, though, is it? Even his never-dying state ends eventually." Her eyes widened slightly. "And we left her there! All on her own, surrounded by people who are just going to die around her. With just one patch to turn someone into a being like _her_."

"All she wanted was to be at home. Now she can be," the Doctor argued. "She will be fine. You came to terms when it was sprung on you."

She stared for a moment, genuinely in disbelief about him using that argument. "No I didn't!" she argued back. "I've never come to terms with it! Do you not remember Trenzalore at all?!" She sighed. "I understand that you wanted to save her. You want to save everyone and even one death is a fail. I understand that, I do. Why did you do this? It's so… It's so not like you at all."

That was what confused her the most. His own immortality, or his incredibly long life at the very least, had always been a burden to him. For every death they'd lived through together she was wounded, but he just grew tired. Both of them wanted as long as possible to travel the universe, learning and exploring and living a wonderful life together, but the downside could sometimes be crushing. He'd never have wished it on anyone, so why give it to Ashildr?

He stared at his wife, who wasn't accusing him of anything, who just looked completely baffled at his actions. He felt pretty much the same. "I thought that, if you saw me make amends…" he started. "You don't have to save the town, just one person. Sometimes we forget that."

He was right, of course. Sometimes if they couldn't save everyone it felt pointless to try and save one person. But, sometimes, saving one person was good for the soul. Sometimes a win really was a win, even if it felt like a loss when it happened.

However, those weren't the words that Danni focused on. "You can't keep doing this," she told him. "It is not up to you when and _if_ I make amends for my mistakes. I don't need you showing me like some – like some father trying teach his daughter right from wrong. I'm not your daughter, I am not a child!"

"Of course you're not," he quickly replied. "I know you're not."

"And you can't keep using me as an excuse as to why you do these things," she continued. "Showing me my 'good' side. This _is_ me Theta. I'm not good, I'm not bad, I'm just me."

He remembered giving a similar speech to Missy. She had tried to separate them by forcing him to fall onto a side. Just like before, when the man who's face he'd stolen flew back to his memory, so did that speech. He'd declared that he hadn't needed an army or a side, because he'd had _her_.

 _And she doesn't_ _tell me what to do, or how to act. She shows me how to love the universe, and she loves me when I can't. Through her eyes I can see everything._

And he was trying to force her into something she wasn't ready for, even if she wanted it. His job was never to show her the way, it was just to be there when she found her own.

"I'm not trying to change you," he said softly, apologetically. "I'd never do that. I just wanted to help."

She smiled sadly. "Exactly," she said. "You want to help. We both want to help. You saved Ashildr not because you wanted to show me that it was possible, I know I can save anyone I like if I try. You did it because you're tired of losing when all you want to do is help. You still think that you lost this Danni, who got killed and you're never going to find her again. This good, honest, pure Danni and you look at me and you don't see her. So when this pure, young, scared little girl died you didn't want to let her go again."

He felt awful. Not only for Danni seeing that in his actions and his words, but for the fact that she was also right. He still felt her loss greatly, even as she stood in front of him. He looked for the goodness in her actions not because he knew they were there, but because he wanted to see the Danielle he'd never saved in her.

He remembered her doing the same when he'd first regenerated. She'd struggled to let Eleven go and accept him and it had really hurt to think that she was never going to love him as he was now, but only the man he had once been. She'd always shown a fondness for his previous body, after all. But she'd shown him that wasn't the case, she had just been learning him again. They both were.

He was doing the same to her. He couldn't let her old body go. Was it because he hadn't said goodbye? Was it because he hadn't saved her? Was it because Missy had taken her from him and not allowed either of the closure?

Either way, he was comparing her to her old body and that wasn't fair. He knew how that felt. And now Ashildr was paying the price.

"I may have gotten emotional," he admitted. "I'm so tired of losing. I wanted- I _want_ a win."

"And we'll get one. We've had wins. Not every adventure ends with something terrible, does it?" she replied. "But this isn't how we get it. I will come to terms with what I did. You can't use it as an excuse to lose your head."

"I know," he replied. And this time she could see he meant it. She sighed, walking over and taking his hand.

"What now?" she asked. "We can't just leave her there. She's immortal, now. She doesn't deserve to watch people die."

"We don't know if she is immortal," the Doctor reasoned, although his suspicions on that subject were rather high. "She won't want to be drawn from her family. We can check in later to see how she's doing. If she's still around, then we can deal with her."

Danni really didn't like the sound of that, but then he held out his hand for hers. "The future will show us what she becomes," he tempted. "Shall we take a look, my Pet?"

The Doctor had this smile, this tempting look, these purred words that when used in combination Danni found very hard to resist. Even in Missy's many incarnations of him over the years she'd only resisted a handful of times. More often than not, at least for a little while, they always worked.

The idea of exploring the future together in a way no one else could would always draw her in. She reached forward and took his hand. "After we make up for the boat ride," she purred. "Let's go find us some proper stars."

 _~0~0~0~_

"And it just worked?" Clara asked. "Just like that?"

"Just like that," Danni confirmed, peering from the back of Clara's television. "She came back to life, and we left. Do you have a bobby pin?"

"Probably," Clara replied, heading towards her bedroom. "That's pretty awesome, though, isn't it? Did you manage to find any more of those kits?"

"No, there was only one helmet. Probably for the best, though," she replied. "The Doctor said it only worked because of how soon after her death it happened," Danni explained, holding her hand out for when Clara came back. "It has something to do with organ degeneration or something. He programmed it for humans but it needed something to rebuild."

"Makes sense," Clara replied. "It's a shame you can't just carry a handful of them around with you. They'd come in handy."

Danni paused as she pulled the legs of the bobby pin apart. She'd not told Clara about how the Doctor had pretty much made Ashildr immortal. Danni knew that he wasn't exactly proud of his actions, and they still didn't know the extent of how he'd 'fixed' Ashildr. So she knew that wasn't what was going through Clara's mind.

"Is it alright for you to be home on a Thursday afternoon?" Danni asked as she went back to pulling apart the DVD player. "I thought you had Tuesdays off this term? Or have I been away longer than I realise?"

"No, no, you've not," Clara reassured her. "I, er, actually I quit my job."

Danni popped up from behind the television like some sort of children's toy. "You quit? Why? I thought you loved your job?"

"I did," Clara agreed. "But, I dunno, I just couldn't keep going in every day to all the sympathy and the tilted heads and the," she tilted her head to show her point, "' _How are you today, Clara?'_ "

Danni grimaced slightly as she pulled off a small piece of circuit board. She was sure it was completely unnecessary. "How-How are you doing with that?" she asked. "I mean, has it been long? I'm not sure of time frames anymore."

"About six months," Clara replied, as if she didn't know the exact count of months, days and hours since she heard over the phone that he'd been in hit by the car. "And as well as could be expected, I guess."

"I noticed you redecorated," Danni told her. "It's nice. I'm glad you kept my fairy lights up."

Clara glanced over at the desk in the corner. She'd moved everything around, bought all new furniture and tried so hard to submerge herself into a new life. Still, Danni had taken so much time sorting out the fairy lights and photos around it she'd had to keep them around.

"New life, new me," Clara replied with a shrug. "Anyway, I have a few interviews and hopefully something will pan out."

"I'm sure it will," Danni said. "You're amazing. Anyone who wouldn't hire you are idiots you don't want to be working for."

Clara nodded, her ego inflating just slightly. "You're right," she agreed. She watched Danni the best she could behind the television. She wasn't sure what she was doing to her DVD player, having instead resigned herself to buying a new one. She didn't want to tell Danni that she'd got a new job _just_ yet. She wanted to wait to make sure it worked out first.

She smiled to herself. It was so nice to just have the Time Lady around. She enjoyed watching her work, and listen to her talk, and the stories she had to tell reminded Clara of a life she really missed. She was slowly coming to terms with the fact that it wasn't her life anymore, though, and she knew one thing; she needed to build the life she wanted instead.

"Can I ask a question?" Danni asked her, startling her out of her thoughts. Clara flushed slightly, wondering if Danni had noticed that she'd been staring at her. She couldn't help it. Something about the brown hair up in a bun, looking like she knew how to use her hands…

She cleared her throat. "Of course," Clara replied. Danni sat back onto the heels of her feet.

"How did Danny die?"

It was a question that Clara didn't expect, and she blinked for a moment before going into defensive mode. "Which time?" she joked flatly. Danni shrugged, not commenting on her weird response. Clara frowned. "You don't remember?" she asked, genuinely surprised. "We did-I did tell you."

"Well, the Doctor doesn't like talking about it—" By 'it' she meant Clara, "-so I can't really get an answer out of him. And I didn't want to ask you when it was too raw to ask. But you seem to be doing better. It all happened so quickly, and with Missy, I don't know if what I know is right or if she made it up."

Clara leant back on the sofa, crossing her leg over the other as she made sure she was calm and collected. She didn't want to be the woman who always cried when talking about her dead boyfriend. She wanted to be the woman who could keep herself together.

"He was hit by a car," she said softly. "He was on the phone to me and he was hit by a car. He was dead on impact."

"And-And he died again?"

Clara nodded, this time with a smile on her face. "He died saving the world," she whispered. The thought of him dying, of him burning, was a horrific memory. However, knowing how he had sacrificed himself made her so incredibly proud of him. "He was turned into a Cyberman. He almost turned over to Missy's side, but he saved us all instead." She raised her eyes to meet Danni's. "He had a good death," she stated. "It's the only good thing to come out of it, but he died as the best man that I will ever know. I know it's what he would have wanted."

Danni shifted on the floor. Even an outline of the story was heart-breaking, but Clara's words just reminded her of Ashildr. They really needed to go back to see her. It was the least they could do now that they'd taken her good death away from her.

"I'm sorry we couldn't save him," Danni told her friend.

"I'm sorry I even asked you to," Clara replied quickly. "You were never there just to do what I asked."

"Yeah, we were," Danni replied cheekily. "That's why you're the boss."

"Well, yeah, that's completely true," Clara agreed. "But I shouldn't have asked. And if I hadn't then…"

"Then Missy would have got me anyway," Danni finished for her. "Don't let her make you feel bad. Trust me, as someone who's been made terrible by her, it's really not worth it."

They fell into silence for a little while. Danni's question had been easy to ask, but Clara really wanted to ask her own about Danni's time with Missy. She barely knew anything about it. But she knew that it was going to be painful to bring up.

"Danni…" she started before there was a spark from behind the television. Alarmed, Clara jumped up. "Danni! Are you okay?"

"Fine, I'm fine," Danni promised. "I've almost got this done."

"What _are_ you doing?" Clara asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Your DVD player doesn't have a record function. I thought I could add it then connect it to the Wi-Fi to get you gaming capability as well. You have VR, right?"

"Wait, _what?_ " Clara rushed over to her. "Stop it, I really don't need that!"

 _~0~0~0~_

"Theta?"

"Uh huh?"

"Are we going to go back?"

The Doctor rolled over, a frown on his face. Danni laid in the bed next to him, looking up at the ceiling above her. She had her arms above her head with her own thoughtful look on her face.

"Back where?" he asked.

"To Ashildr," Danni clarified. "I feel like we should, you know, check in on her or something? I mean, we did just leave her to her own devices."

"We can't just babysit everyone we save," the Doctor countered. "Otherwise we'll be doing nothing but dropping in and checking on the universe. We're not nannies, are we?"

"Well, no," Danni replied, agreeing completely. "That sounds incredibly dull. She's not the same, though, is she? If she is immortal…"

" _If_."

"Then shouldn't we, you know, at least give her a rundown on the basics. You know, explain how she needs to keep moving. She's in very early Earth history. They might think she's a witch."

"There's no 'immortals handbook'. We've not, exactly, got it down either have we?" he pointed out. "You're always looking back on people."

"We have a time machine. It's different," Danni protested before settling back into the pillow. "It just doesn't seem very fair," she said. "Why does she get to live when other people don't, you know? And don't get me started on the whole forced immortality thing. That's _incredibly_ unfair."

The Doctor sighed heavily. "This is because you've been spending time with Miss Oswald."

Danni looked at him, affronted. "No it's not!"

He just shot her a look. "We couldn't have saved PE," he reminded her.

She shifted slightly in the bed. "I know, I wasn't thinking that," she lied.

"And she tried to _kill_ you for him," the Doctor continued. "It doesn't exactly make me want to help her in any way. Let her fight her own battles."

"She didn't try and kill me," she corrected. "And even if she did, it wasn't because Danny asked her to." She looked back up at the ceiling. "I totally understand the difference between saving someone when you're linear to their timeline and jumping back. We couldn't have saved Danny because we only found out afterwards, when it was too late. It just," she sighed, "I don't like this kind of power."

The Doctor agreed wholeheartedly. He just wanted to travel, and learn, and enjoy life. He was always put into situations where he had to make those kinds of choices and more often than not he wasn't sure if he was making the right one. Sometimes he did, sometimes he didn't, and most of the time he enjoyed being the person to save everyone. But then, when he thought about it too much, he wanted to just go home and hold his wife.

He pulled her closer and she turned so he could hold her close against his chest. "We can go wherever you like, my Pet," he told her, placing lazy kisses against her neck. Having lost her, he took every opportunity to hold her tight. "If you want to go see her, then we can go see her."

"I just…" She trailed off for a moment, wondering if she should really say anything at all. She pressed her lips together because she wanted to word her thought correctly. She still struggled with saying some things out loud. "I was alone and afraid. I don't want her to be the same when there is someone who could help."

The Doctor paused his soft kisses. The guilt at just her words flared up and he pulled her a little closer, as if he was trying to protect her from the universe. She didn't need it, she could look after herself, but he wanted to save her from everyone else. He needed to make amends for not saving her before it was too late.

He didn't want to take her to Ashildr if it meant that, if only for a moment, she was reminded of just how scared she had been. He knew that the more they travelled the less she looked for those cracks in reality that meant that she was asleep. She was sleeping better, she was reaching for her gun less. She was feeling safe and, as much as he had been fond of Ashildr, he wasn't going to push that back for her.

"We can check in on her next," he lied, sounding as if he'd decided that with no chance of him changing his mind. "I'm sure she's absolutely fine, though."

 _~0~0~0~_

"What do you know about the Doctor?"

Lady Me looked up from her drink at the strangely dressed woman. She never frequented establishments of this sort, but sometimes she would get bored. She was much too wealthy and had too much class to sit down with the people who barely could afford the alcohol they were buying instead of feeding their families.

"I'm sorry?" she asked the strangely dressed woman. She hadn't noticed her enter, and by the looks of it no one else had either. Though the people around her much too focused on blurring their vision.

"The Doctor, dear," the woman replied, grimacing as she looked at the stood next to Lady Me. She pulled out a cloth to wipe it down before sitting next to her.

"If you're looking for a physician…" Me started, holding her own cards close to her chest. She knew that she kept her face neutral, she had been in the game of lying for quite the few years at this point.

Still, the woman rolled her eyes. "Don't play stupid, dear, you're much too pretty for that," she scolded. "The Doctor? Old man. Eyebrows. Grumpy, you can't miss him. What do you know about him?"

"I don't know what you mean," Me insisted, firmer this time.

"Fine, play hard to get," the woman dismissed. "I just thought you'd like to know that he would be here soon. Well, Earth anyway. Him and that little wife of his."

"Really?" Me asked, realising as the word came out of her mouth that she sounded incredibly too keen. The woman grinned.

"Yes. Well, a decade or two is soon for you, isn't it?" she replied. "You just need to hang around here and he might take you away in that spaceship of his. You never know."

"And, if he is, why would you be telling me?"

"Because I have a favour to ask of you," she replied. "Do you see the woman over there?" She nodded with her head. Me looked over and saw a brown-haired woman sat between two men, both of whom were leaning too close and looking entirely too friendly for her liking.

"Yes?" Me replied, her jaw set, one step away from getting up herself to move her away. She hated the way men could drool over women like they were mere objects. She hoped that, eventually, she would live to see that actually change.

"That's his wife," the woman explained. "I want you to tell him exactly what happens here. I know your tiny little human mind can't hold on too many memories, but can I trust you to remember this?"

"I'm sure I can," Me replied in a drawl. "But why would I?"

"Because I'll point you in the right direction," the woman explained. "Time, dates, whatever you need to get your silly little human body over there. Just make sure you remember and tell him."

Me looked over at the woman who was being harassed. One of the men reached forward and grabbed her arm. She shot up, knocking their drinks to the floor. "Get your hands off me!" she snapped in warning. The woman next to Me looked over, exasperated.

"Calm down, my Pet," she called over. "They bought you for the night. You'll have to behave or they won't come back."

Danni looked over, absolutely furious. "You _sold_ me?!" she shouted.

"Only for the night," the woman in the strange dress defended. "They wanted you to do their cleaning, or farming, or something. I can't say I was paying much attention." She sighed at Danni's outraged look. "You wanted a night out," she said, exasperated. "You told me so yourself, remember? How else was I supposed to pay for it?" She shook her head, turning to Me. "How rude. Expecting something for free."

"You sold your own friend?" she asked slowly.

"No, I sold my property," the woman countered. "Keep watching, keep watching."

And Me did. She watched as the men tried to manhandle her again. She watched as Danni fought against them, telling them to back away. And she watched as Danni pulled out a gun from somewhere on her person. Me didn't see where she pulled it from, but she saw how she shot the first man with shaking hands. The other man looked terrified and ran away as Danni dropped the gun, backing away in horror.

The woman next to her stood up. "He'll be in London in the 1650s," the woman explained. "Make sure you tell him what happened here."

"Who are you?" Me asked, but the woman waved her away.

"Just passing through, dear," she replied. "Excuse me." She pulled her sleeve up, revealing a large leather bracelet. Not a lot surprised Me now, considering that she had lived for so long, and she wasn't surprised when the woman disappeared in front of her eyes.

Danni disappearing, though, that was new.

 _~0~0~0~_

Missy pretended, for a moment, to not notice how Danni was hyperventilating. She checked to make sure that they were back in her office before taking the manipulator on her wrist off. She turned Danni, tutting lightly, before doing the same for her.

"It's alright, my Pet," she said soothingly. "You're safe now."

Danni looked up, absolutely terrified and horrified. "I-I killed him," she whimpered. "I killed- I didn't want to, I just wanted him to let me go…"

"I know, my Pet, I know," Missy reassured her. "But you're safe now." She took the two manipulators over to her safe, placing them away so Danni couldn't get her hands on them without Missy supervising her. "I'm so sorry that happened, my Pet. I really did think you'd just be their maid for their night."

Danni couldn't breathe. "I-I killed him," she whimpered over and over. Missy pulled her into a hug and, for once, she didn't fight. She took comfort from Missy, who smiled whilst her Pet couldn't see.

"You had to," she told her. "That's why I gave you the gun. The universe is a dangerous place, and 17th century England is one of the worst."

"I-I had to?" Danni repeated weakly.

"Those men were going to do _terrible_ things to you, my Pet," Missy reminded. "If I hadn't protected you then I don't know if I would have been able to save you. What else were you supposed to do?"

"I-I had to fight them off," Danni stuttered out.

"That's it," Missy confirmed. "You're safe now. You had to do it. What if they'd hurt someone else? You did well, my Pet."

Danni nodded, still shaking. "I-I had to," she whispered. "I had to. I was in danger. I had to."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _I think I'm just going to change my update day to ' **someday** ' because I'm just not keeping up with it, am I?_

 _Don't forget Danni's anniversary! 3rd June! Check out my Tumblr for more. You don't need an account to join in :)_

 _Reviews!_

 _ **Wyvernhandler** \- No, definitely not a bad thing at all! I don't have one to offer but my lovely friend did write some 10/Danni/11 smut. It's on the OurDanniGirl side account on here, if you fancy a read :)_

 _ **bored411** \- We've not quite reached the next episode yet, but I hoped you liked this one anyway :)_

 _ **AGBreads** \- Thanks sweetie :)_

 _ **Authora97** \- Thanks sweetie. I'm very much looking forward to it :)_


	29. The Knightmare

Danni frowned to herself. She tapped the end of her sonic screwdriver against her chin, then prodded the device in front of her. She'd been working on it for a few days now, with the Doctor's help of course, and she was beginning to think she was never going to get it right. Everything she knew said that it should just work! There was a power supply and there was not a wire out of place.

She picked up the drawing the Doctor had given her and compared what she saw in front of her to it. Nothing was wrong! She'd done everything as she'd been told to!

She looked over her shoulder at the Doctor. "Are you _sure_ that this battery isn't dead?" she asked again.

"It's a Vermillion life long battery," the Doctor replied. He'd been hovering over her since she'd headed into the console room, declaring happily that she'd finished only for the device to not turn on. He'd followed her back to the workshop and had been watching her try and fix her mistake ever since. "They last several hundred years and it was only in the remote."

"Do we not have any, you know, fresh batteries? Something that is still in the packet?"

"It's not the battery," the Doctor insisted. "If you would just let me have a look…"

"Theta," Danni interrupted. "This is my scanner, my project. I can fix it on my own. Do we have any fresh batteries?"

The Doctor sighed, although it was more out of fondness than exasperation. She really was becoming quite the tinkerer. He often found her reading books about machinery and she was always asking questions about how things worked. It really wasn't something he'd expected out of any Danielle, but it was just another way her inquisitive mind shone through.

"I think I have some Duracell somewhere," the Doctor told her. "They won't be as good as the Vermillion…"

"Could you _please_ get them for me?" she asked before he could moan any further. He didn't seem to like the idea that she could do this on her own. If she was honest with herself, she wasn't surprised. Their relationship had always been him saving the day, building the gadgets, finding the way out. She had never been the one to look at a pile of wires and know what to do next. She had always been much more of a people person rather than a 'things' person.

He probably felt like she was stealing his job or something. She hoped it would just take a little bit of grumbling from him before he'd settle down and they'd work together again. Until then she would just have to grin and bear it. And order him around when she needed things.

He disappeared out of the room for a while, coming back with a small black and yellow box that contained the batteries. "Have you tried…"

"If you suggest changing out the chipset _one_ more time I'm going to chuck you out of the room," she warned him. Her voice was light, but it wouldn't have been the first time she'd had to chuck him out of the workshop.

The Doctor shook his head, knowing just how serious she was being despite her calm tone. "I wasn't going to," he quickly replied. "I was just going to suggest taking the batteries out and using the sonic screwdriver on them."

"Tried that," Danni replied as she popped out the absolutely amazing Vermillion batteries that her husband seemed so keen for her to continue using. She replaced them with the Duracell and replaced the back on the device.

She couldn't hide her glee when she switched it on and, immediately, it sprang into life. She turned around in her chair, looking at her husband completely smug. "Not the battery, eh?"

The Doctor pouted. He'd deny it, but he actually pouted. "I should get my money back," he grumbled.

"Yes, sweetie," she said, humouring him slightly as she stood up. "We should go test it. I'm sure the TARDIS can pick up something for us to scan out."

"Already done, my Pet," the Doctor replied. She took his hand and they headed to the console room. "I gave her full control. She's landed somewhere on Earth and, considering how close you two are, I'm sure that there's something on the other side waiting for you to find."

On the other side of the door was night time. They appeared to be in a woodland. Danni frowned as she looked around. Something felt a bit strange, she couldn't quite put her finger on in. The air felt almost familiar. She let the scanner hang, almost forgotten, by her side as she tried to stop anything that she might have recognised.

"England, I would say," the Doctor replied. Danni nodded.

"17th Century," she finished before he could. He blinked, surprised for a moment before grinning.

"You're starting to notice the differences in time," he praised. "I knew you'd pick it up eventually."

"I-I think I've been here before," she told him, her uneasiness making her squirm slightly on the spot. "Not _here_ , but this time period. I feel like I've been here before."

"Well… that's the first step," he said. "Recognising where you've been. Anything else you notice?"

She shook her head slowly. "Nothing-Nothing that I… Did you hear that?"

She could have sworn she'd heard a noise, but the Doctor didn't seem too bothered. He motioned at her with both hands. "We can work on locations later," he dismissed. "Can you tell what we're looking for?"

She didn't quite understand what he was saying straight away, but she held the device she'd made up and flipped the lid open. Underneath was a compass, one that wasn't pointing at anything in particular. She turned it on again and it whirled into life, beeping and flashing lights.

"Well, there's definitely something here," she declared, turning slowly on the spot. "Something close, as well. Something…" She stopped, facing just to the left of her husband. "Something that way."

The Doctor looked down at the reading. "That's exoplanetary energy," he explained. "That's some powerful stuff right there."

Danni looked up at him, still feeling rather smug. "First thing it found, as well," she pointed out. "I think changing out those batteries really did the trick."

"Oh, shut up you," the Doctor grumbled, nudging her to follow the signal. "We haven't got all day."

"Maybe we should have gone with the digital readout like _I_ suggested," Danni continued. Teasing him was thoroughly amusing.

"If you didn't want to take my suggestions why did you ask for my help?" he replied.

"I didn't. You're the one who was showing me how to build it. I was just trying to help make it even better." They were approaching a dust track where a horse and carriage was currently parked. Danni came to a stop as they got closer, noticing the man on horseback next to it.

In her hand the scanner was going wild. "I think our energy source is in that carriage," the Doctor said, taking it off her without asking. "Come on, before they drive away."

Danni grabbed his arm before he could walk off. "I think we should hang back just a little longer," she told him. He frowned.

"Why?"

"Because they appear to be in the middle of a robbery."

She could see the gun the man on horseback was holding, the metal shining slightly even in the darkness. It seemed rather foolish to interrupt a man with a gun who was most likely only after some gold and she told the Doctor so.

He dismissed her. "It's only a robbery," he said. "Come on, before it's too late."

He quickly made his way towards the carriage, leaving Danni by the roadside. "Doctor, get back here!" she hissed. " _Doctor!"_

He didn't turn around and she sighed, making her way closer. She hid behind a bush as he seemed to be going around the back to the chest the source of the energy was most likely kept in. She relaxed slightly; at least he was trying to be inconspicuous. He did know how to take things without people noticing so she had…

Oh, no, he turned and climbed into the carriage. Great.

She pulled out her own gun, holding it close and ready as she moved to join him. He came out of the other side, next to the man on the horse, barely paying them any attention at all.

"Step aside or I shall blow your brains out," the mask robber said.

"Sorry, were you talking to me there?" the Doctor asked and Danni grimaced. She really didn't want to shoot anyone, she was trying very hard not to do that anymore. "Try again. I promise I'll listen this time."

"You have interrupted my robbery, sir, and you will step away, if you wish to take another breath."

"You're going to get us all killed, if you don't shut your mouth!" the coachman exclaimed. Danni agreed with him entirely.

"Sorry. Sorry, I really was planning to listen that time but, basically, I didn't," the Doctor replied, fiddling with Danni's scanner. She'd really done a good job on it. Maybe it was time for her to get more involved with the maintenance of the TARDIS. He could take a break and tell her how she was doing it all wrong. It was nice to do things as a couple.

"I usually have someone who would listen for me, but I believe she's hiding in the bushes," he continued as he turned away from the man in the mask. The scanner was picking something up behind him. "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!"

On the back of the carriage was a chest, and behind the chest was Danni, looking rather exasperated. "Look, I found it," he told her. She shot him a look that made him think he was missing something. He turned, looking to the man in the mask. "Oh, hang on. If I didn't know better, I'd say this was a robbery."

"I am robbing these people. You are getting out of my way," the man in the mask declared, pointing his gun at them both. Danni pointed her own gun at the robber as the Doctor decided, of all things, to argue with them. She wouldn't shoot unless she had to. She didn't need to shoot unless she had to.

The coachman, thinking quick, suddenly set off away from the bickering group of robbers. The Doctor turned, ready to chase after them. "Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!"

"You bungled my heist," the horseman declared.

"I told you to wait!" Danni scolded her husband, yanking the scanner out of his hand. "Why the hell did you climb through the carriage?"

"How else was I supposed to get around it?" he countered.

"Around the back," Danni retorted. "Past the very obviously important and locked chest where something very special was being kept inside of it!"

"If it was something valuable they would have kept it on their person," the Doctor argued. "Why would they leave it on the outside where any petty thief could get their hands on it?!"

"And yet that was exactly where the scanner pointed," Danni replied. "I'm the one who has had more recent experience robbing things. If you'd just waited like I said…"

"Then we might have witnessed a robbery _and_ a murder," the Doctor finished. "The best way to get something done is the _direct_ approach." He motioned with his hands, jabbing them in front of him to show the direct approach. "If we skulked about all the time we'd never get anything done!"

"And this is getting something done, is it?"

"If you are quite done bickering like an old married couple…"

Danni turned. The one thing she disliked more than arguing with her husband was people interrupting the argument. "We _are_ an old married couple," she retorted. "And you and your fake voice and wait a moment until we're done."

The Doctor looked at Danni in surprise, who looked just as surprised as he felt. "Fake voice?" he asked.

She was staring straight ahead, her eyes slightly wide. "I didn't know I'd noticed that," she replied. He grinned, taking her face in both of his hands and placing a kiss on her forehead.

"You're brilliant," he told her. "Absolutely stunning."

"I finally regenerated with a big ol' Time Lord brain," she replied happily. "I'm going to catch up to you soon, Spaceman."

He held her close. "You were always lightyears ahead of me, my Pet."

The man cleared their throat just before their kiss got a bit _too_ involved. The Doctor didn't take his eyes off his wife but pointed over to him.

"I'm getting to you in a second, Zorro," he declared before turning to his wife. He placed another kiss on her lips before turning around. "Why hide your voice? Embarrassed? Have you got some-some terrible accent you're trying to hide?"

"I'm not trying to hide anything, Doctor," they replied, this time with a voice that both the Doctor and Danni recognised. They climbed down off their horse, removing their mask and scarf.

"You," the Doctor breathed. Danni could only stare, a little shaken.

"Yes, it is me," Ashildr declared, amused. "What took you so long, old man?"

The Doctor was positively affronted. "Old man?" he repeated, looking back to his wife for reassurance. Danni couldn't really say a word. They were centuries away from where they'd left her in the village. She should have died long ago. She really was immortal. They'd made Ashildr immortal.

"It seemed apt. Life expectancy if thirty-five these days," Ashildr replied, walking back over to her horse. "Well, for everyone else."

None of this made any sense to the Doctor. The TARDIS must have known where she had been landing, so there had to be a reason she'd brought them to Ashildr. What that was, though, he had no idea. And then there was the fact that she had held him up at gunpoint.

"But didn't you know it was us?" he asked.

"Of course, you don't forget the man who saved your life. Plus, I knew you were coming. I just didn't expect it during a heist, that's all."

"You knew we were coming?" Danni asked. She held onto the scanner tightly in her hand and wondered if she needed to change it for her gun. "How?"

Ashildr looked over at them, grinning. "I couldn't possibly say," she replied. "I have to remain mysterious."

"Mysterious?" the Doctor repeated.

Ashildr lowered her voice, changing it completely. "The Knightmare has a reputation to maintain."

"The Knightmare? You based your masked robber personality on a pun?" Danni asked.

"A good one," the Doctor replied. "How do you do the voice?"

"Practice," Ashildr replied like it was a simple answer. "It doesn't matter. You're here now. We should celebrate."

"How did you know we were going to be here?" Danni asked again. She really didn't like the look on the girl's face. Something had changed. She had been so expressive, so passionate. The woman in front of them looked like she didn't really care that they'd interrupted her heist, or that she had been expecting them and they'd finally turned up. She looked like she didn't care about anything. At all.

"It doesn't matter," Ashildr dismissed again. "I knew you were going to be, and you are."

Danni paused for a moment and the Doctor watched her analyse Ashildr. He felt how 'off' she was as well. They both were slightly unnerved.

"We're not here to see you," Danni told her bluntly, watching her closely for a reaction. "We were trying to find something. The same thing, I suspect, you were trying to steal from the carriage. We didn't know you were here."

Ashildr turned, angry. "You mean you didn't come for me?"

But it wasn't angry enough. It felt like she'd repressed the feeling. She was being cold towards the world around her. "We didn't come for you," Danni affirmed. "We didn't even know you were here."

The Doctor felt terrible. He felt guilty, because he had checked on Ashildr before. He'd not been able to resist knowing if his mistake had been as permanent as he'd feared. He'd found her in a leper colony but he hadn't stayed long and he'd not had the hearts to break it to Danni. But being left behind had done something terrible to Ashildr. She'd had to close herself off, away from the world around her. It was what he'd feared would happen to her and something that he could see in Danni from time to time. The universe had taken so much from both of them, but Ashildr had been there on her own.

"Oh, Ashildr, I'm sorry," he said softly.

The bafflement on her face felt very real. "Who's Ashildr?"

Danni and the Doctor shared a look. "You are," the Doctor replied slowly. "That's your name. Ashildr, daughter of Einarr. Chuckles. I used to call him Chuckles. Do you remember?"

Ashildr thought back hard. She tried to remember where she'd heard any of those names before, before a flitter of something came to mind. "Yes. I think I remember the village."

"You loved that village," the Doctor said, amazed and slightly horrified at the completely different person who was staring back at him.

Ashildr shrugged. "If you say so."

"That's a human sized brain for you," Danni commented. "You can only retain so much. After the first hundred years there's just no room for old memories."

Ashildr nodded. "You sound like you've had experience of it," she said, almost accusing Danni of lying.

"I do," Danni replied. "I remember that I had a mum and dad. I remember their names, I remember what they used to wear, but it's like I'm remembering a memory. They feel very far away sometimes. I bet that's how you feel about your father." She cleared her throat. She didn't like thinking on what she had forgotten, and Ashildr was suddenly a personification of that idea. "What's your name now?"

"Me."

"Yes, you," the Doctor replied, concerned at how uncomfortable his wife seemed. He hadn't wanted to drop her right in the middle of Ashildr's new life because he'd expected that she wasn't going to react well. He'd wanted to be able to do it slowly instead of slapping her in the face with it. "There's nobody else here."

"No. I call myself Me. All the other names I chose died with whoever knew me. Me is who I am now. No one's mother, daughter, wife. My own companion. Singular. Unattached. Alone." She paused for a moment, looking sombre before promptly smiling like it didn't affect her. "Anyway, I should get started. I'd offer to give you both a ride, but you'll just have to follow behind. You can help me."

"With what?"

"Packing." She climbed back onto her horse. "Come on. It's a bit of a walk away."

The two Time Lords followed her down the road, towards what they assumed to be her house. The woods were quiet, no sign of anyone else travelling. Ashildr – or Me, as it was now – didn't try and make conversation and they didn't try to talk to her.

"She can't come with us," Danni said lowly.

The Doctor looked down at his wife. "I thought you were the one who wanted to bring her along."

"I did, when there was still time for her to be okay," Danni replied. "Look at her, though. She's hardened to everything. She's lost all passion for life. Travelling with us will just…" She shook her head. "I'm not going to be responsible for turning her heart to stone."

"You don't know that," the Doctor replied, surprised at her words.

"There are two types of people who live as long as we do. There's the lover, like you, who just wants to experience the universe. See its highs and lows just to be a part of it. Then there's the indifferent. The ones who think that the universe _owes_ them the right to see it. She's been waiting for us to turn up so she can finally leave. She doesn't remember her family or her home, but she doesn't _want_ to either. Travelling the universe and having all of time and space to play in will just distance her all the more. I'm not going to do that to her."

The Doctor looked at the back of Ashildr's head. They were going back to her house to pack. Most likely because, even though Danni had been very clear they weren't here for her, she thought that they were going to take her away. This wasn't like Donna, who had waited because she'd seen something better than herself and was curious and excited and eager. This was a woman who had become bored with life. She didn't feel the happiness as much as she didn't feel the pain.

"And you?" the Doctor asked his wife quietly. "Where do you fall in?"

Danni was quiet for a long moment, her own feelings rushing around in her head. "I guess," she started slowly, "I wanted to be indifferent. When I regenerated I convinced myself that I didn't care. Missy was my life now, so why fight? But then something would happen that would terrify me or hurt me. You know, make me cry? Crying always brought me back into the moment. It made me feel part of the world around me. And…" She shrugged. "I don't remember them, but I miss my parents. There's a hole there. It's painful, but it's my pain, you know? I never want to get to the point when I can shrug and not care if I loved them or not."

The Doctor couldn't agree more. The pain of life was just as important, if not sometimes more so, then the happiness of it. Lows meant there would be highs. Lows meant that you had feeling. Lows meant that, no matter how hard he pretended that Danni was his conscience, he still cared.

"Will you ever tell me more about what happened?" he asked her. She looked up at him and he seemed guilty for even asking.

"Eventually," she offered, because she could feel herself already shying away from the idea. There was so much bad that had happened and she never wanted him looking at her with pity. "Not now, though. We have a rather bigger and more pressing problem to deal with."

Ashildr rode her horse in front of them, oblivious to the fact that she was their newest, most pressing problem. And neither of them knew what to do next.

 _~0~0~0~_

Me's house was large. A proper mansion house that both the Doctor and Danni were mildly impressed with, even if they would never admit it. At least she had done well for herself in the centuries that she had been living.

"Your device, what is it?" Me asked as she took off her coat and scarf.

"It's a scanner," Danni explained. "It scans out energies that aren't supposed to be on the planet. We'd only just landed when we picked up the signal. What was it you were wanting from the carriage?"

"You mean apart from the gold?" Me asked, chucking the small bag of gold she had acquired from the robbery into a chest sat against the wall of the entrance hallway. "Lucie Fanshawe has bragged about having the rarest gem in the land, an ancient amulet from foreign parts. Could it be we are looking for the same prize?"

"Most likely," Danni agreed. She nodded towards the large chest. It was already filled right to the top with gold coins and other shiny objects that Me had obviously stolen over the years. "I'm going to guess you're not the 'steal from the rich and give to the poor' type?"

"I have a long life to live, Danni. I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to be comfortable for it," Me replied.

"You have enough there for a lifetime, which is saying something for you," the Doctor stated. "Why are you robbing amulets?"

"For the adventure, Doctor," Me said. "Isn't that what life's all about?" She nodded to her side before heading off to the right. She took them to a large room, where a fireplace was burning ready for her return. Behind a beautifully ornate desk were rows of bookshelves, all full of identically bound books. "I've had eight hundred years of adventure, enough to fill a library if you write it down."

And then some, it would seem. Danni headed into the books as the Doctor headed straight for the curiosities that were spread around the room. It seemed like Me had lived a long and exciting life, full of battles and royalty. She'd fought in great battles and survived them too. Danni pulled out one of the many diaries that the room held, flipping through it. Her handwriting was incredibly neat. She must have taken her time writing everything down.

"How many people have you killed?" the Doctor asked Me as she recounted one of her more successful battles.

"You'll have to check my diaries," Me replied offhandedly.

"You can't remember?" he asked.

"Can you?" Me countered.

Danni, who was still flipping through the diary she had picked up, called over. "Yes. Twelve."

Both Me and the Doctor looked over at her. She didn't look up. She'd stated it like she'd thought about it often. The Doctor understood that, having spent more than one dark night calculating the lives he thought he'd lost on Gallifrey. He'd spent a lifetime thinking about all the lives he hadn't saved. He hadn't thought she had done the same.

"For what it's worth, I've saved many lives too," Me countered. "I cured an entire village of scarlet fever once. Almost got drowned as a witch for my troubles. Fortunately, I'm really good at holding my breath." Everything she said sounded like a brag. "Ungrateful peasants."

Danni shook her head. She didn't sound like she'd had a good time, or a bad time. She just wanted everyone to know how good she was at everything. The arrogance of living too long.

She flipped through the next diary a little slower this time. It told boring, average, everyday stories. She was surprised that Me had kept them around but reading about how the immortal woman had spent the 2nd century was still rather entertaining. She'd, apparently, been rather popular in the small village she had found herself in. Many of the days seemed to be filled with talk of the women around her, all who were very welcoming. It must have been when she hadn't distanced herself from the world.

"In fact, I've done all I can here. I look up to the sky and wonder what it's like out there," Me suddenly declared passionately and Danni looked back up. She was looking to her husband pleadingly. "Please, take me with you. All these people here, they're like smoke, they blow away in a moment. You don't know what it's like."

"We do know what it's like," the Doctor replied softly. He stood up from his chair, walking away from her.

"Then, however you fly, whatever ship you sail in, take me with you."

"When your loved ones died, did you look for more?" Danni asked. "Did you try and find more of the love you'd lost because it hurt to be without it?"

"I've learnt from my journal to never allow myself to get too close. The pain, it would seem, can be debilitating," Me replied.

"No."

Me frowned. "No?"

"No, you can't come with us," Danni clarified. "There's not much more to say about it."

"Danielle," the Doctor started. Danni looked over at him, then sighed and turned to Me.

"If you're still not looking for people to share your life with because they're fleeting, then you still haven't learnt all you need to know here," she clarified. "Coming with us won't help you, Me. You know that too, deep down."

"Please, I can't stay," Me pleaded.

"How did you know we would be here?" Danni countered.

"Someone told me," she dismissed. "It doesn't matter. Take me with you."

"No."

"The thing you're looking for, I'll help you find it," Me declared, suddenly changing tactic. She stopped begging. It was pretty obvious that she was doing it to prove she was of use. "It'll be quicker."

"We don't need your help," the Doctor told her.

"Yes, you do," Me corrected. "I know where Lucie Fanshawe lives, and I'm an excellent house-breaker. We'll leave in an hour."

She left them both in the library, not even looking back to see if they agreed to her terms. Danni sighed and put the diary she held in her hand back on the shelf. "Are you going to tell me off?" she asked.

"No, but I'm understanding more," he replied, walking over. He knew that people found him rather… terse, and a challenge. Sometimes he struggled to get his point across because people didn't understand him. Everyone but Danielle, who would understand his every intention and translate it for anyone who didn't. "I'm sorry that I forced this on her because I was emotional," he said sincerely. "And I'm sorry I did it in your name."

She smiled softly. "Thank you."

"And she won't be coming with us," he promised. He had seen it himself. Ashildr – Me – had a need to prove herself. She had to be the best, she had to matter somehow, because everything around her faded to nothing. She wanted to find more out in the universe but, if she was viewing the world already like that, then the universe would just hold more disappointment.

"I want to help her," Danni explained, walking down the bookcase to look for something else to read. "I don't want her to feel like life is long and full of pain unless you pull away completely. I remember feeling like that on Trenzalore. It's not a way to live. Being shown how _big_ the universe is, though…"

"We'll work it out," he said, taking a diary off the shelf. "Something in one of these books will help us help her. We've just got to find the right passage." He tossed the diary to her before choosing one of his own. "Then we'll find out what's so important about that gem that she's so eager to get her hands on."

Both of them started reading, skimming across what was a long and rather heavily life, trying to find moments of note, something within the masses of pages that would help Me see that the normal and ordinary is worth it on its own.

"You know," Danni spoke up. "I'm pretty good at breaking into places and there's only room for one on her horse. It might be best for you to stay here."

"I appreciate the thought, my Pet," the Doctor replied, slightly amused. "But I've been doing this a lot longer than you. Your research skills would be much more use."

"A lot longer?" Danni repeated offhandedly. "Fair enough. What time is it?"

The Doctor turned to look at his wrist watch. He frowned. Had he not put it on? Perhaps it was the wrong wrist.

Danni held his watch up. "Looking for this, sweetie?"

He blinked, surprised that he hadn't even noticed she'd taken it. "When did you do that?"

Danni hummed slightly. "Oh, you know, before," she replied vaguely. "I'll go with Me, you stay and research."

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni decided, there and then, to never ride on a horse again. It hadn't been the first time that she'd rode a horse, but it was definitely the last. It was painful, bumpy and took entirely too long to get anywhere on it. There was a reason the car caught on so quickly.

Plus, it absolutely stunk.

"Your husband was very keen to make me see 'the error of my ways'," Me said as they approached the large house. "You seem less inclined to do so."

"I saw your diaries," Danni replied. "I've seen the way you act. You've lived a long and hard life and you're old enough to not have two even older people tell you what to do."

"And yet you won't let me come with you," Me pointed out as she pulled on the reins, slowing her horse to a stop. "Seems a bit contradictory, don't you think?"

"I'm a mass of contradictions," Danni replied flatly. "This the place?"

It was a large house, and rather square at that. It had a centred front door and equal amounts of windows on either side, showing that it had two floors. The lawn was perfectly manicured and a well-kept stone path led up to the door. Danni wasn't particularly fond of it. She liked her houses to have more character.

"We're going around the back," Me explained, dismounting. Danni quickly followed and they used the line of the bushes at the edge of the garden to reach the back door. "Housebreaks can be tricky."

"Only if you don't know what you're doing," Danni countered. "Where does the door lead?"

"To the kitchens. They should be empty this time of night." Me pulled out a poster of herself declaring The Knightmare to be wanted as a notorious thief. "The most wanted in the land," she boasted.

Danni pulled out a small metal pointer, one that might have been used in a classroom. That had been where she'd taken it from, if she remembered correctly. She barely offered the poster a glance. "Cute," she said blandly. She continued to rummage in her pocket for something more useful. She was sure she had something in here.

She pulled out another small device, walking in front of Me and putting it against the keyhole. "The lock isn't exactly complicated," she explained. "The key is more for show than anything." There was a click and the door opened inwards. She smirked at Me. "You're the most wanted in the land, but my name is on wanted posters across the universe," she explained. "Let me know when you catch up."

"You're going to need a mask," Me told her as she stepped inside the house. Danni wrinkled her nose.

"Feel free to hide behind puns and Batman masks. I don't really care if people see my face," she replied. "Which way first?"

Me frowned. "Who's Batman?" she asked.

Danni grimaced slightly. "Sorry, that was a bit ahead of this time," she replied. "Which way?"

Me stepped in front of her, leading her through the kitchen and into the hallway. "'Tis black as night," she commented as she had expected there to still be some lights available for them. "I have a tinderbox somewhere."

"I'll grab a candle," Danni stated, walking further into the hallway as Me searched her own satchel for her tinderbox. She still had a torch in one of her pockets, but it felt better not to show the woman up too much. She found one pretty quickly and held it out so Me could light it. Me looked around, trying to get her bearings.

"The servant's stairs. Follow me." Danni did, heading up the stairs behind her. "I have a question," she whispered.

"Should we really be talking?" Danni whispered in reply.

She had a point, but Me knew a lot about people in general. She wouldn't really get another chance to ask Danni on her own. "Does the Doctor own you?"

Danni frowned. "No one owns me," she said firmly. Me nodded, pulling close to the wall and pausing for a moment.

"The woman in the strange dress seemed to think she did," Me stated. Danni's hearts froze and her hand pressed against the wall, automatically looking for a way out. There was only one person Me could be referring to and her instinct was to try and get out of the dream she was in. "Did she sell you to the Doctor too?"

"No, she didn't," Danni snapped before wincing at the loudness of her voice. "Stop asking questions. We have a prize to find."

She walked up the remainder of the stairs, straight in front of Me. She hadn't expected to suddenly be smacked in the face with Missy whilst robbing a house for some sort of gem. She had done very well lately ignoring the fear of being recaptured, now every shadow bent and stretched into the silhouette of a woman who loved to dress like Mary Poppins. She shouldn't have left the Doctor's side, but at least she had her gun. She'd saved herself before, she could do it again.

She froze at the top, holding her hand behind her to signal Me to stop as well. A servant came out of one of the many rooms but didn't notice the two intruders. She disappeared the hallway and Danni turned to Me. "Do you know where it will be kept?" she whispered.

"I'll wager there's a dressing room," Me replied, rightly assuming that Danni wasn't going to talk to her about the mysterious woman she had met. She'd try again at a later date. "Come on!"

She tried one of the doors, opening it and rushing inside. Danni quickly followed, closing it quietly behind her. What they found was a beautiful dressing room with dark panels on the walls and a large cabinet at one end, most likely being used as a jewellery box.

With just a shared look, they both walked over to it. A few of the drawers and doors seemed to be locked, so they both quickly began looking through them all for something that stood out. Danni was the one to find a large wooden box, ornately decorated, in one of the drawers.

"Not a hard guess, is it?" she whispered, opening it up. Inside sat a large amulet with a purple gem set in the middle that seemed to glow even in the dark light. She let out a quiet, low whistle before holding it in one had. In the other she pulled out her scanner. "Just give me a…"

She activated it only for a moment, knowing that it was going to make more noise than they needed it to. But it gave her the reading she needed.

Me shot her a look. "Why did you bring that?" she hissed. "We could have been heard."

"I'm not breaking into a house only to leave with the _wrong_ item," Danni retorted. "Is this what you were after?"

Me nodded. "The rarest gem in the land," she confirmed, holding her hand out for it. Danni shot her a look before picking up the amulet and putting it in her own pocket.

"Neither of us were born yesterday," she pointed out. She got the familiar thrill of taking something that didn't belong to her. "Let's get out of here."

Me nodded her agreement, although it was obvious she wasn't happy to not be in control of their goods. She led them out into the hallway and towards the main stairs of the house. They both paused at the creak of a door opening. A quick look around suggested the door and the end of the hallway was their only choice so they both rushed to it, quietly closing the door behind them.

Of course, as always happened in Danni's life, there was a man sleeping in the room they were hiding in. A man with a terrible snoring problem. Danni looked around, trying to find the way out. Across the room was another door, this one ajar. She nodded towards it, offering it as an option. Me nodded.

Their trip to the sofa on which the man was sleeping was fine, but then a floorboard creaked and they both dropped to the floor, moving around to hide.

"Lucie?" the man called, climbing up to pick up a candle, lighting it off a candelabra that was sat by his side. "Lucie?"

They both moved out of the way until he left the room, then stood up and headed for the door. Danni paused as Me stepped out first, only pausing when she noticed the Time Lady wasn't following.

" _Come on_ ," she commanded.

Danni looked around the room again. Once upon a time, when she had been on her own, taking what she had needed had been second nature to her. The jacket she wore and loved was taken from a President who had been less than hospitable. She'd stolen money, and sometimes slept in beds where the house occupants had no idea she was there even when they were home. This felt like a time she had hoped to move on from, and yet also reminded her of the little moments she had actually enjoyed. Ones that had reminded her of when she had still been with the Doctor.

She smirked slightly. "One moment," she said, stepping back into the room and to a vase. She had been much more brazen during her travels on her own. She didn't wear a mask because she wanted people to see her face. What was the point if there was no one there to see her face?

She picked up the vase and chucked it very purposefully to the floor. It smashed instantly.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Me shouted, pulling out her gun.

"Oh, sweetie, this has been fun. But what's a robbery without a little drama?" she drawled.

" _There is an intruder on the premises! Bring me my blunderbuss!_ " Fanshawe screamed. The door opened a moment later and he came in with a pistol. Danni gave him a little wave of her fingers.

"Hello, sweetie," she purred. "Remember this face, you're never going to see it again."

She turned and dashed out, Me following on her trail. "We're going to get killed!" she exclaimed.

"Only if you're not fast enough," Danni retorted. "You've eight _hundred_ years old. For once just live a little!"

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Sorry it's taking me so long recently to update. I know the aim is once a week. For some reason Danni just wants to take a break. And so close to the five year anniversary, as well. It's annoying, I'll tell you that much!_

 _Also don't forget about the Anniversary. Just over three weeks until the event! 3rd June, 9pm on Tumblr. Find details in chapter 25 or on my Tumblr! I'd love you to attend!_

 _Reviews!_

 _ **Authora97** \- Why thank you! I wasn't sure if I'd hit the mark properly so I'm glad it worked :D_

 _ **bored411** \- It is a flashback, definitely. There's no way Missy will get her hands on Danni like that again, I can assure you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- You were getting married, sweetie, you could have put the story down for a couple of weeks :P I think you can already see it, a little, with Danni's justifications of things. Let's just hope it leads to more opening up between the two Time Lords, eh? XD_

 _ **Michael Thomas1** \- I'm not going to respond to this here, as I feel I may be a little more blunt than I should be. If that is the kind of author you are looking for, you are in the wrong place, my friend._


	30. The Biggest Concern

"I'm really not happy about this," Me declared. "That was my best horse."

"Yes, I know," Danni sighed. They'd been having the same conversation on and off as they'd walked through the woods back to her house. It was a long walk, it would seem. A _very_ long walk. "And the horse was spooked by the gun shot and ran away of its _own_ accord. And besides, I didn't think you cared about mortal things anymore."

"The horse was fast and I need a fast steed," she quickly reasoned.

Danni nodded. "Of course," she drawled, not believing her one little bit. "How much further? My husband will be getting worried sick."

"The same husband that allowed you to be sold in a tavern?" Me countered just to get under her skin.

Danni stopped, turning to her. "I don't know where you're getting your information from, but I have a very good suspicion," she stated. "I'm going to tell you one last time; I'm no one's to sell. Whatever she told you is utter bullshit and you're a fool for believing her."

"She didn't tell me," Me told her with a gloat in her tone. "I saw it. She sold you to two men in a tavern and you shot one with a pistol. Was that death number one?"

Danni took a deep inhale through her nose to calm herself down. "No, it was three," she replied. "Make whatever stories you like up. It won't make any difference." She turned and started walking away. "Tell the Doctor and you'll be person thirteen."

The next half an hour was spent in silence. Me walked slightly behind Danni, probably delighted that she'd gotten under the Time Lady's skin. After all it just proved that she was better at doing that as well. She had very much succeeded as well.

Danni remembered the moment that Me was referring to very clearly. Missy had sold her on a few occasions, but that had been the first. It had not ended well and Danni became better about escaping situations she had found herself in, but the first time always stood out for her.

She had kept a lot of her experiences close to her chest but she had been opening up more. Trickling pieces of information to him when she felt safe to, when she felt like she wouldn't be judged for what had happened. Not that she _did_ think that he would judge her. Her husband wasn't like that, but she worried. She was worried that he'd look at her differently and she was worried that she would never be allowed to forget. And, considering what was happening at that particular moment, it seemed like the universe wanted to punish her just as much as Missy did.

It was a rustling from the trees that didn't sound like the wind that alerted Danni first. Me's comments had brought out the need to look for Missy in every little part of her surroundings, just in case, and the noise was definitely something foreign.

She stopped in her tracks, hand behind her. "Someone's here," she whispered to Me. The other woman immediately stopped. A moment later a man jumped down from a tree wearing a tricorne and a long brown coat, who also had ridiculous facial hair.

"Ah-ha!" he cried like he had actually managed to get the jump on them,

"Sam Swift the Quick," Me declared, stepping around Danni and towards the man. "I wouldn't be so bold if I were you. Don't you know who I am?"

"The Knightmare," Sam replied. "Which is why I'm not alone."

Two more men appeared, one with a rather large stick and both wearing masks. They stood either side of Danni and Me, ready to attack on the command.

"'Tis hardly a fair fight," Me pointed out.

"And it was fair when you stole my patch?" Sam countered.

Me smirked, eyes sparkling underneath her mask. "Is that a fake nose, Sam? They should call you Sam Sniffed."

Sam tried to look down at his nose, eyes crossing slightly as he obviously felt rather self-conscious about it. "What's wrong with it? It's perfectly normal, innit?"

"For an anteater maybe."

" _Ooo!_ " he mocked derisively. "Well, never knew you were so puny, Knightmare. Or should I say, Slightmare." He looked to his two men as he laughed and they joined in.

Danni sighed heavily. The banter was about to happen, wasn't it? Which meant that they weren't getting away anytime soon. She suddenly understood why it bothered the Doctor so much. What a waste of everyone's time.

She looked around. There wasn't much to the wooded area they were stood in, and Sam's two friends weren't exactly brimming with fighting prowess. She could get free pretty easily. If she could get a hold of the large stick she could hit the guns out of everyone's hands and the whole encounter would be over before it began.

"It's what's in my brain that counts, Bingo Boy," Me snarled, annoyed.

"Well, no brain outwits a bullet, Dandyprat." Sam quickly drew his pistol, pointing it straight at Me. "Lay down your arms, hand over the loot, or I'll shoot."

Danni sighed again. This had gone on long enough. "Alright, alright, we get it," she drawled. "You're big and manly and can steal whatever you like." She looked down at Me. "We don't have time for this," she continued. "Can we go now?"

"Who's this?" Sam asked, turning his gun on her. "Your wench?" He grinned. "Brought her on a lovely walk in the woods, have ya?"

"I'm not her sidekick, she's _my_ accomplice," Danni retorted.

"And what's your name, gorgeous?" he asked her.

"None of your damn business, I should think," she retorted. Did he really think that flirting was going to get him anywhere? "We're not giving you anything. You _know_ we're not giving you anything. Let's just part ways, shall we?"

"If you're his accomplice then you must have a name," Sam replied. "Unless it's as stupid as 'is, of course."

"What? And Sam Swift the Quick is so fantastic?" Danni said tauntingly. "Overcompensating for something, are we? Or should I go down the local tavern and ask a couple of the ladies there, see just how true that nickname really is."

Again, he looked rather hurt. "That was a bit low," he muttered.

"No, it's tedious," Danni snapped. "It's all just tedious, and I'm leaving now."

She took a step forward and the man with the large stick put it in front of her as if to block her way. She let out one more heavier sigh. Was that _really_ how this was going to go down?

She grabbed hold of the stick, twisting around and twisting it out of his grasp. With one swing she brought him to the ground, and she continued through to bring his friend's legs out from underneath him. She quickly grabbed their guns off them as they scrambled up and chucked them away into the foliage around them. She then pulled out her own gun, ready as they ran away.

Me, on the other hand, took the distraction to wrestle Sam's pistol out of his hand. The two had a little scuffle, but ultimately it ended with Me staring down Sam as he lay on the floor, his own gun pointed at his throat.

"Please, Knightmare, I don't want to die," Sam begged, suddenly admitting his was outmatched. "Let's have honour amongst us."

"What do you say, Danni?" Me asked, her voice rather bored. "I should kill him? He'll be dead in a minute. What difference does it make?"

"Because you may think you're quick, but I'm quicker," Danni replied and Me glanced over her shoulder. Danni pointed her gun straight at her back.

"You think you're a better shot than me?" Me asked mockingly. "I've been at this for longer than you could ever comprehend."

Danni rolled her eyes and moved her gun, pointing it at a tree just to the side. With one shot the tree exploded in a way that no one on Earth at that point would have ever seen with a shot from a gun so small. Sam whimpered on the floor underneath his nemesis.

"Doesn't matter," Danni said, pointing the gun back at Me. "It may only move you out of the way, _Knightmare_ , but I will win this shootout. Let him go."

Me looked down at her opponent for a moment longer before letting the pistol hang at her side. "Run," she told Sam, who did just that. Me watched him go with an air of disinterest before picking up her own pistol from the ground, which she had lost in the fight.

Danni pocketed his gun and walked over, her face close to Me's. "This is why you'll _never_ be able to come with us," she snarled angrily. "They may be fleeting, he may just be a common thief, but his life matters. Every single person's life matters. _Not just yours!"_

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor wasn't sure why he agreed to let Danielle out his sight for an entire night. An entire night when he was waiting around. _Reading_.

He had always claimed that books were the greatest weapon and he would stick by that. However, without anything to actually fight, books became the epitome of boredom. He should have just gone with them on foot. He should have actually just argued back with his wife some more.

But he'd seen the twinkle in her eyes at the mere thought of doing something a little bit daring and sneaky and he'd never been able to say no to anything that made her that gleeful. It was just that he'd rather have been there to witness it rather than waiting to see if she returned safe and sound.

Was this what she had felt like when she'd been waiting for him to come back from battle on Trenzalore? How had she been able to bear it? It was _agonising._

He owed her another apology, it seemed. But, at the very least, he'd been able to put his time to some good use. He'd caught up on all of the highs and lows of Ashildr's life. Or the lows that she had left behind. The diaries had many pages torn out. Memories that were deemed too painful for her to read back on. Mistakes, losses, failures that she didn't want to relieve in her 'Me' time.

He knew that wouldn't have gone down well with Danni any more than her dismissive attitude had, and it didn't fill him with hope for her either. Both he and his wife had enough painful memories to fill many lifetimes. He had spent nights awake, wishing the faces of dead away from his mind so he could finally find some sort of peace. Danni had cried so many tears over the loss of their friends and families. But neither of them would ever get rid of those memories. Ashildr still had a lot to learn and it wasn't something they could teach her. It wasn't something he had _time_ to teach her.

His main focus had always been and would always be Danni. Her recovery was going to be long and she had been there for him so he needed to be there for her.

He had practically charged at her when Danni finally came back home. She didn't look hurt, mainly just incredibly annoyed.

"What's wrong?" he asked her as the door swung shut on Me. "What happened?"

"We ran into one of her lovely chums," Danni said shortly. "It was tedious." She pulled out a jewellery box and handed it to the Doctor. "This is what we were tracking."

"Swift is not my friend," Me grumbled as she took her hat and mask off. "I don't—"

"Yes, yes, you don't have friends. You're _all_ alone," Danni mocked slightly before turning to her husband. "Do you recognise it?"

He didn't comment on her rather sour attitude anymore, instead popping the lid on the box open. His eyes widened slightly. "The Eye of Hades," he breathed.

"As in 'God of the Underworld'?" Danni asked and he nodded.

"The very same," he confirmed. "Strange how the amulet has been disguised as it."

"It's not supposed to look like that?"

He shut the lid back down. "More puzzles, more pieces," he muttered to himself. "There's something I'm missing."

"Nothing new there, then," Danni said heavily. "Can we just take it and leave?"

"Wait, that was my raid. That is my spoil!" Me protested, walking over. "You can't just take it."

"It's not just some shiny bauble. It's dangerous," Danni told her, looking to the Doctor for backup.

He looked apologetic. "Maybe we should hang around…" he started.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course," she muttered. He never listened when she wanted to leave and would always try and convince her to leave when she wanted to stay. "Fine. We'll stay." She walked past him and up the stairs to the first floor and the study. "Have fun!"

"Danni, Danni wait!" he called, placing the box down on the side before jogging after her. She paused in the hallway, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for him to catch up with her.

"What happened?" he asked her again.

"She almost shot a guy just because he was annoying her and his life was tiny compared to hers," she replied. "Is that-Is that what I'm going to turn into? I mean… I say I have a big Time Lord brain like you, but-but I don't. I have some stupid human-Time Lord hybrid thing going on and I've lost a lot of memories too!"

"Of course not," he promised. "You're not like that. Look how upset you are at the idea."

"Yeah, _now_ I am," she retorted. "But that's because I still remember to be. What happens when I _don't_ remember to be? What happens when I forget that I don't want to be like that? I mean… I mean…" She pointed towards the stairs. "It's already happening, isn't it? I used to want to help people like Me to find themselves, now I just want to be far away from her because she's just never going to see it. When did I give up that hope in people?"

The panic on her face was horrible, not because the Doctor didn't know if he could reassure her, but because of the pure emotion on her face. She wasn't hiding it from an invisible Missy, or him or herself. This whole experience had shaken her quite badly.

"You've never been like that," he told her but she just looked pained at his words. "And you don't want to be."

"Ashildr wasn't like that," Danni replied. "She loved her village, and all of the people who lived in it. What if- What if once I forget the Roses and the Marthas of the universe I stop caring too?"

He reached out and took her hands. He remembered his own struggle with his own sense of self well. He still couldn't quite decide if he was a good man or a bad man but he strived to be the former. She had helped him see that and he would always repay that favour.

"You said to me there were two types of people in the universe; ones that cared and ones that didn't," he reminded. "And you said you always cared even if you didn't want to."

She held onto his hands tightly, using them to ground herself. "I spent so long with Missy trying to not care. What if I succeeded?" she asked quietly. "Do you remember my friend who gave me the Vortex Manipulator for Christmas? The one who brought me back to this universe? Because I don't. She was my best friend. I loved her so much and I don't remember her name, or her face. I don't remember loving her at all anymore. It's just going to happen with everyone else. One day I'm going to wake up and not even remember Clara's name and that… that _terrifies_ me." Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. "What if I lose the memory of loving anyone?"

He couldn't help it. A little snort of laughter broke from him and her eyes widened, alarmed and hurt by his lack of compassion. "Sorry, sorry," he quickly said. "Let me tell you something about you." He gave her hands a squeeze. "Danielle Fielding; the Time Child. Feared across the universe. Fugitive, terror and tinkerer. You could lose every single other part of yourself but your hearts will _always_ live past that. The idea of you losing that is upsetting you so much is the reason you won't ever lose it." Her soft smile, showing that his words were working, made him smile in return. "It's the reason you're in love with such a sentimental old fool like me."

"Yeah, well, someone had to," she joked quietly before leaning up to press a kiss on his lips. It was only a small one and she rocked back onto her heels before he could take it any further. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"That's because I'm a fantastic husband," he replied modestly. He let go of her hands to cup her face, wiping away the tears that hadn't quite fallen with his thumbs. "Go for a walk and I'll look after Ashildr," he said. "When you've calmed down we'll work out what to do next."

As she walked away he watched her go with a frown on his face. Her concerns were understandable, even if he thought them quite unfounded. What concerned him more, though, was the fact that the 'hybrid' was being brought up more and more as of late. It was a reason that he kept to himself, but as it was one of the biggest ones that had him leave Gallifrey it was always something he noticed. More and more it appeared, and more and more it seemed to involve his wife.

It worried him. He needed to investigate more. He needed to make sure that she was safe from the universe.

 _~0~0~0~_

Me was so angry, the Doctor could tell. He felt terrible about being the source of that, but he knew that Danni was right; she couldn't go with them. He knew that she didn't understand why he was turning her down. She'd spent centuries picking up every skill she could. She saw herself as worthy of something more.

And that was the problem.

"I have waited longer than I should ever have lived. I have lost more than I can even remember," she beseeched. She walked closer to him, eyes shining with tears and he walked around the table away from her. "Please, Doctor, just get me out of this. I want more than this. I _deserve_ more than this." He turned, looking at the fireplace. He didn't know how to explain it to her in a way that wouldn't be cruel. Maybe that was because it was. "Why not?" He didn't answer and her voice rose. " _Why not?_ "

He turned around to look at her. She, at least, deserved the answer. "Because it wouldn't be good," he replied. He watched the devastation wash over her face. "Ashildr, please," he tried but her face hardened. "Ashildr..."

"I am not Ashildr anymore," she snarled. It was then that the roar echoed through the room and the Doctor looked up, suddenly realising that he was about to find what he had been missing.

"Do you have a cat? It sounds like a very big cat." He walked over to a pair of large black doors. "Hence the very big cat flap."

He was almost blow back as a light shone out of the cracks around it and they were flung open. Golden eyes shone from in the darkness and a humanoid stepped out. He had a long mane of hair and a cat-like face.

Me smirked smugly. "Leandro, meet the Doctor," she introduced, walking over to his side. She turned to face the Doctor, obviously on the lion-man's side. "You thought I was helping you. In fact, it was the other way 'round." She looked up at the lion. "Leandro, we have it. My friend's wife was as useful as I'd hoped."

"And where is she?" Leandro asked.

The Doctor straightened slightly. He did his best not to glance towards the doors or windows. Danni hadn't come back. He needed to keep it that way. "She went home," the Doctor replied, looking at Ashildr. "She decided you were beyond help. I decided differently." He tilted his head to the side slightly. "If you needed help, why did nobody just ask? I am forced to assume you have plans I wouldn't approve of." Oh, Ashildr.

Me glared at him. "Stop calling me that," she snapped. The name did seem to aggravate her more than it probably should. It was probably a reminder of who she had once been. Something in her subconscious triggering the feeling of loss that she didn't want to feel or remember.

But he had much more of a pressing issue than Ashildr, now, it seemed. He looked over the lion man. He was big, burly and obviously wealthy considering the furs and crown he was wearing. This sort of alien didn't just land on the Earth and stick around for the grub.

The Doctor's lips pulled into a snarl. "Kill me!"

"Why?" Leandro snapped

"If you intend any harm to this planet or its people, then killing me is by far your best move," the Doctor explained.

"You invite your own death?"

"No. I just want you to attack first. Then my conscience is clear."

"Of what?"

" _You._ "

Much to the Doctor's surprise and slight annoyance, Leandro laughed. "You are not of this world, or part of my plans. I have no quarrel with you."

"Then tell me why you are here and what you intend to do," the Doctor demanded. "Otherwise, get on with trying to kill me. But I advise you. Be very quick and very sure."

What the Doctor had intended to be a hint of his regeneration capabilities and, unbeknownst to them, a warning of his wife's ire, Leandro took as a slight as his fighting prowess. "I am from Delta Leonis. My tribe was overthrown, my world destroyed, my wife killed as we escaped."

"Using the amulet?" the Doctor guessed. "That was your means of travel."

"I lost it when I crashed to Earth."

"I found him in my grounds," Me explained. "He's been sleeping there while I searched for it."

"The Underworld, gateway to an afterlife, another reality," the Doctor said, still looking for the punchline. Everything they mentioned just sounded like someone trying to get away and an ancient young woman hopping on for a ride. They were still hiding something from him.

"I'm looking for the headline here," he told them, waving his hands between the two.

"The what?" Me asked, confused.

"Well, you know, you want to escape? Well, go on. Escape as much as you like. Why would I not approve?"

For once, her eyes turned downwards and a little bit of shame rushed over her. Oh, it had to be something bad to make even her ashamed. "The amulet…" she started, trailing off.

"What about it?" the Doctor pressed.

"A death is required. It is only way the amulet works," Leandro finished for her.

Ah, there it was. The one thing that the Doctor would never approve of; the death of one to benefit someone else. "Of course. Every single death is a tiny fracture in reality, and the amulet can lever the fracture open. Primitive, but effective."

"It's just exploiting an abundant resource," Me offered with a bit of a shrug and a detachment that sat cold in the air. "There's so much dying here."

"So who dies so you can run away?" the Doctor retorted.

Me looked over her shoulder. "Clayton?"

A coughing man called back in reply. " _Coming, milady._ "

The Doctor's eyes widened. She really had lost all of her conscience, hadn't she? He'd left her behind and she'd become broken. "No, you can't. He loves you," he cried.

"To the end, it would seem," Me replied with a smirk on her lips. Like she was proud of succeeding in tricking an old man to care for her.

"Would you rather take his place?" Leandro roared, suddenly very tired of the conversation. His roar brought out fire from his mouth, which the Doctor had to admit he hadn't seen coming. A lion man who could breathe fire? All he could do was hope that Danni was somewhere safe until either of them had a plan on what to do next.

As the Doctor toppled into a chair as he backed away Me stepped forward. "Not the Doctor. We agreed!" Me shouted, causing Leandro to pull back.

That was interesting. She had specifically chosen to save him. "Oh, Ashildr, daughter of Einarr, what happened to you?" he asked forlornly.

Her eyes narrowed. "You did, Doctor," she told him simply. "You happened."

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni had heard the roar from the grounds and had rushed back to the house. Gun in hand, she'd re-entered quickly to locate just what her husband had gotten himself into. She had peaked around the door into the dining room and saw the Doctor with Me and a giant lion man, who was obviously the source of the roar that had drawn her there.

This was what happened when she left him on his own. He managed to get drawn into something in the whole twenty minutes she had been walking through the beautiful grounds, taking in the bits of the Earth that she really did love. Perhaps next time they could find a nice Victorian garden and just have a stroll together. She hadn't been into a beautiful garden since Missy's…

She quickly ducked back around the door, hiding from view as she listened in. He definitely wasn't in any immediate danger as he coaxed Me and Leandro's plan out of them. He'd always been a great talker. Her instinct was to just shoot the two where they stood, but she knew it wouldn't do any good. She didn't want to add more to her tally count, and she'd struggle to keep Me down for long enough anyway.

So she did what the Doctor was doing, and she listened. She listened to Me freely offer her butler as a sacrifice, and she listened as the Lion Man demanded that she tie up the Doctor so he couldn't interfere with their plans. Neither of them seemed to question her disappearance back home, for which she was very grateful for. She assumed it was because at face value it made perfect sense. She had been rather short with Me and so her annoyance could have driven her to leave.

Listening to Me blame the Doctor for her attitude and her pain was hard to hear and not step forward. Yes, the Doctor had made her immortal but her choices after that were hers and hers alone. She didn't have to be happy to watch people die. She didn't have to detach herself from the world around her. Where she had become cruel she could have chosen to be kind.

That was what Danni had to remember. She might forget her past. Her memories may warp and fade but she could always choose to be kind, not cruel. Watching Me's pain and misguided anger just highlighted that all the more.

She left the Doctor in the less-than-capable hands of two men pretending to be soldiers to go and see the execution of the man they had encountered in the woods, Sam Swift. Maybe Me had plans of searching for her on the way. It didn't matter. It was like Danni had said; Me was good, but she was better.

She hid as Me left the room and the house then snuck out of her hiding spot, ruffling her hair up to make herself look dishevelled.

She dashed into the room, panting heavily and pulling the attention of both men and her husband. "Help, help!" she cried. "Please, help me."

One of the men pointed his gun at her, while the other looked at her like he was actually concerned. "What is it, ma'am?" he asked.

She tried not to feel insulted at being a 'ma'am' and not a 'miss'. "It-It was the Knightmare," she almost sobbed. "Lady Me has been looking after me after my husband came down with a fatal case of the terrors." The Doctor narrowed his eyes and she tried to not smile in amusement. "I was just going for a stroll to clear my head and then he… he…" She held a hand up to her mouth, letting out another sob. "I was so scared."

The man lowered his gun. "The Knightmare was seen coming in this direction," he explained. "We came to warn Lady Me. We've already caught one of his accomplices." He motioned to the Doctor.

"Hang on, you didn't capture me!" the Doctor protested but no one paid attention.

Danni held her hand to her chest. "Oh my," she exclaimed. "How very brave of you both. You must have been rather quick to overpower him so easily."

Both men shared a look and suddenly they were puffing their chests out, trying to act like it was nothing at all. "Well, it is our job to look after the people of this town," one man told her.

She took a step forward, biting her lip. "And you've done it so well," she flirted shamelessly. "I'm so glad you're here. Your wives must be terribly proud of you."

"We're not- We're not married," the other man was quick to point out. He moved closer to her and his friend was quick to his side, nudging him out of the way to stand in front.

She held her hand against her chest. "No, I won't believe it," she purred. "Two young, handsome and obviously brave men such as yourselves must have someone at home waiting for you."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes slightly as the two men tried to make it very clear they were available to her. "Hang on a minute," he exclaimed. "I'm not sure I approve of this."

"Oh, do hush," Danni called over. "The grownups are talking." He slumped in the chair, annoyed at the way she tilted her head to one side. "I suppose you do deserve a reward for doing such… fabulous work," she told them. "I did happen to see which way the Knightmare was heading. Two brave men such as yourselves would be more than deserving of that information. And the reward that comes with it…"

They both eagerly nodded, then one noticed that maybe the woman in front of them wouldn't have been impressed by their greed. He coughed and nudged his friend in the side. "We definitely want to keep the town a safer place, ma'am."

"I thought as much," she replied softly. She motioned them both to come a little closer. "Perhaps I should whisper it," she told them. "I don't want, you know, _unsavoury_ ears to hear and alert the Knightmare that we're onto his plans."

They both leant in closer and Danni moved in, leaning between the two, sultry smile on her lips and she tilted her head towards one to make it look like she was going to kiss him. " _That man over there,_ " she whispered. " _That's not the Knightmare's accomplice. I am_."

With one swift moment she grabbed their heads, knocking them together and knocking both of them out. They dropped to the floor instantly and her smile fell into a look of annoyance. "Honestly, I'm sure there used to be a better class of grunts on our adventures," she commented before moving over to her husband to undo his ropes.

"A fatal case of the terrors?" the Doctor repeated, offended. "Was that the best you could come up with?"

"I thought it was very apt, actually," she said, amused. "You looked positively ghastly whilst being tired up in that chair."

"Did you have to flirt?" he countered. "It was horrible to watch. All puckered lips and come-hither looks. It was a wonder they didn't faint from blood deprivation to the brain."

"It's a move I learnt from my mother," she replied, her fingers quickly undoing the knot. "And my father, come to think of it."

"Don't do it again," he retorted as the bindings finally fell loose. "We don't have time for you to toy with idiots."

"You're just jealous I wasn't flirting with you," she countered cheekily. He stood up, turning to face her quickly, face close to hers.

"Those are my lips," he replied with no room for argument. "You're my wife and I don't appreciate you inviting other men to look."

She shrugged. "They can look all they want. You're the only one who's allowed anything else." She pressed her lips against his. "We need to get to Sam before Me does anything stupid."

"I think it's too late for that," he replied. "We're going to have a lot more trouble on our hands if this Swift dies." He looked down at her, serious. "The whole planet is in danger and we have less than half an hour to save it."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you wanted to stop the flirting," she said with another purr, one she very much meant this time around. "There's a time and a place, Doctor, and this is definitely not it. Where did you put the amulet?"

"In my…" He began patting his pocket then frowned, reaching into his jacket and rummaging around in his pocket. "It was right here." He frowned to himself, thinking back. "You handed it to me, I opened it." He mimicked opening the lid. "You were incredibly impressed and slightly aroused by the way I could identify it immediately." Danni raised her eyebrow but didn't correct him. "Then you were annoyed. You walked upstairs. I closed the lid." He moves his hand to the side. "Placed it down and foll… _oh_."

"So Me has it," Danni surmised rather than guessed. "Great."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _A little bit of a shorter chapter, but it felt like the best place to cut it. I hope you enjoy it :)_

 _Also I wanted to give you another reminder of Danni's 5th Anniversary. Everyone can join in, and I'd love to see what you all can create to give Danni **the most Memorable Day Ever**. Check out my Tumblr for more information, or Chapter 25 on here. The day's June 3rd, come join us :)_


	31. The Biggest Threat

There were too many people gathered to see a man die. Danni really didn't like it. She didn't like how people revelled in someone's misfortune. Why would you ever _want_ to see someone die? Sam Swift had been a nuisance, but he was only a petty thief. Stealing a few pieces of gold really didn't warrant a death sentence, did it?

The Doctor was more polite as they ran towards the gallows, apologising to the people he nudged out of the way. He'd always joked about how she was the polite one. It was weird when it was the other way around. Maybe she needed to make more of an effort in the future. Or maybe people could have just moved out of the way so she didn't need to shove them to the side. Either was good.

Sam already seemed to have been charming the crowd, the laughter from them reaching their ears before they reached them. He should have already been hanging, so that must have meant that he had to have been talking his way into living. Danni couldn't help but think that felt incredibly human.

They all began cheering for his hanging, which also felt very human and rather sickening.

"All right, all right," Sam declared, holding his hand out to quieten the crowd. "As God is my Highwayman. He steals the most precious gift of all. Life. Magical, filled with adventures. And at least I can say I lived mine to the full." He looked over the crowd and caught sight of both Danni and the Doctor. He didn't recognise the man, but Danni he recognised.

"Is that… Danni! Danni!" he called over, waving his hand. Danni blinked, surprised that she was suddenly being address. "I-I need some help!"

"I-I can see that," she called back, shifting slightly as the crowd turned to look at her. She was never comfortable with so much attention on her. "What-What can I do for you?"

Sam didn't really have an answer for that. He needed one, though, and quick. He looked at the older gentleman by her side and his eyes lit up. "That seems a bit cruel, doesn't it?" he called over. "Bringing a date to my 'anging. Am I that easy to get over?"

Danni frowned, brows furrowed, completely bewildered to the almost desperate look he was sending her way. The crowd laughed, as if in on a joke she couldn't quite understand.

She looked to her husband, who caught on quicker than she did. "I would say you're probably much easier to get under!" the Doctor called out. She continued to look confused, but the crowd jeered along with the joke and the Doctor figured out how he had been staying alive; by keeping the people entertained.

"What's- What's your name, old man?" Sam asked.

"The Doctor!"

A spark of inspiration hit the doomed man. "Doctor? Doctor! I'm a robber."

The Doctor pointed at him. "Have you taken anything for it?"

The crowed laughed again and Danni shook her head. "Really?" she asked. "You're joining in on bantering?"

"In the last twenty-four hours you've left me behind to rob a house, saved me from being tied up by two bumbling fools and we've met a lion man. Today is full of firsts," he reasoned. "Come on."

He took her hand, pulling her forward and all she could do was keep up. Everything felt incredibly surreal to her. The Doctor always saved people, her Theta was always kinder than he would admit. But… _jokes?_

"Doctor, doctor!" Sam called over as they pushed through the crowd.

"Quick man, I'm running out of patients!"

"Have you ever seen such a man so old?" Sam continued and the Doctor paused, outraged.

"I'm not that old!" he protested.

"He's so old, he farts dust!"

Well, that wouldn't do at all. He gave Sam a quick once over before turning, pointing up at him. "And his nose is so big that…" he started, trying to think of an ending to keep the audience happy.

"They'll have to widen the noose!" Sam finished for him.

"Or… or bury him in a pyramid!" the Doctor continued. Danni couldn't help but smile at that, and the crowd loved him.

"You know what they say, big nose…" Sam started with a knowing look. The crowd jeered at the implication and Danni decided that, if the Doctor was getting into the moment, then she could too.

"Big handkerchief!" she finished for him. That also tickled the crowd, but not the Hangman, who seemed to have had enough of Sam's jokes for one lifetime. He grabbed Sam, pulling him towards the noose.

"No!" Sam protested, looking to the two time travellers for help. "Please, don't leave me hanging."

The Doctor nodded, falling out of his newfound love of comedy, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his psychic paper and held it out to the Hangman. "Wait! I have a pardon here for Sam Swift from Cromwell himself."

The Hangman took the leather wallet, looking it over like he didn't quite believe it. However, there was also nothing to suggest that it was fake and so, reluctantly, he handed it back. "Sam Swift if pardoned!"

The crowd protested, obviously disappointed that Sam was going to live. The man himself dropped to his knees, sighing with a deep-seated relief. He wasn't sure how the Doctor and Danni had managed to pull it off, but he was safe and alive.

"We didn't come all this way not to see someone hang!" one man in the crowd cried. "What about these two?"

The Doctor grabbed Danni, pulling her closer so that he could protect her. Danni glared at the man as the crowd seemed rather happy to allow two people they didn't know hang for a bit of entertainment. Her hand twitched for her gun, but she didn't go for it. Not yet.

Me stepped forward from where she had been silently watching. She raised a finger to her lips, shushing them gently. The command she had over the crows was quite impressive as they all simmered down. "You want to see someone die?" she asked. "How's this?"

She pulled out the Eye of Hades, the amulet shining unnaturally. "No!" Danni exclaimed, pulling herself up onto the platform. It was too late, though, as Me slammed it on Sam's chest. The man gasped for breath, shuddering as it attached to him. Blackness began to spread from the middle of his chest, underneath the amulet, and he slumped back against the hanging post

Danni grabbed her, flinging her around and throwing the immortal woman to the floor. "You _stupid_ , evil little girl," she snarled. "Look what you've done!"

A large purple beam shot from Sam's chest, straight at the sky and almost blinding to look at. The man himself was slumped against one of the poles for the gallows, eyes rolled back into his skull.

"Purple, the colour of death. His life force is opening a portal," the Doctor said as he crouched down by Sam. He needed to find a way of removing the crystal without killing the man it was attached to, but he feared he was already too late for that.

Me climbed off the floor, brushing herself down as she looked at the sky triumphantly. "To my new life."

"Or to Hell," the Doctor countered as the clouds in the sky began swirling around where the purple beam of light had hit. Leandro pushed his way to the front of the crowd, breathing fire at them with a roar to make them back away in fear. He stepped up onto the platform and stood next to Me as the rift began to open above them. Me looked incredibly pleased, but Leandro looked like he was waiting for something more.

The rift itself revealed a planet floating in the universe, a contrasting sight to the blue sky around them. The villagers pointed to the sky in fear and Me looked at the two Time Lords.

"Goodbye, Danni, Doctor," she said smugly.

"You are going nowhere," Leandro snarled without moving his gaze from his own planet.

Me looked up at him in confusion. Danni rolled her eyes. "Did you really not think this would happen?" she asked. "Would you help anyone out of the kindness of _your_ heart?"

In the rift, small bright lights began appearing from the planet, surroundings it like bright stars. "What's that? What's happening? What are those things?" Me demanded.

"Space ships, or they will be," the Doctor explained as more appeared. "They're coming through the rift, actualising in this plane of reality."

Me turned her attention to Leandro, eyes blazing with betrayal and anger. "You said you were the last of the Leonians!" she accused. "We were meant to escape."

"You shall," he snarled back. "In death."

Large fireballs began to rain down from the rift, hitting the ground and exploding in the crowd that was gathered. The people began to scream as they were attacked not only from above, but from the Lion Man who was responsible for the attack. None of them understood what was going on, so they fled, dodging fire and debris as they tried to get to safety.

Me looked over the crowd in horror. People were going to die because of her naïve mistake. She'd just wanted to be free. She hadn't wanted this. "No!" she cried as more fireballs hit the ground. "Doctor, what have I done?"

"What? Do you actually care?" Danni countered angrily. "I thought their fleeting lives made them pointless? What's the difference between all these people and Sam Swift?" She pulled out her gun, looking around. She didn't believe the same, not for one moment, so instead she looked over the crowd. She needed to save as many of them as she could in one go. The first threat she could take care of was Leandro, so she jumped off the podium, landing in the dirt heavily before quickly standing up as if she had been graceful all along.

"Danni!" the Doctor cried, running to the edge. "What are you doing?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Saving the planet," she replied. "Isn't that what we do?"

She rushed over to Leandro, firing at his feet and scaring a lot of people around her as the shot blew a hole in the ground. It knocked the large man to the ground for a moment, distracting him from the group of people he was terrorising. It looked to be a small family so Danni didn't waste any time. Looking around there weren't many places to hide, but there was a sturdy looking stone building to the right that looked like it might have held up under the attack.

She motioned towards it. "Get in there," she instructed. "Tell people to find cover!"

The family didn't need telling twice and rushed off as she spun back on her heels to face Leandro. He roared at her, flames coming out of his mouth and she raised her gun again. She would shoot to kill if she had to, but she didn't want to. All she had to do was subdue him.

"You know what really irritates me about you?" she asked him. "It's not the furs, or the crown, or the 'better than thou' attitude. It's not even the unnecessary bloodlust." He lunged at her and she dove to the ground, rolling out of the way before scrambling back to her feet. "It's the fire breathing," she continued as if he hadn't tried to attack her. "Are you a lion or aren't you? Pick a lane and stick to it." He roared again and shot at him. "It's just too many things, that's all I'm saying. You're like a child writing a monster. Less is more."

Leandro took a swipe at her, slicing her arm with his claws and knocking her to the ground with ease. "I should have gone looking for you. The Doctor could have watched as I devoured you," he growled.

"Yes, you probably should have," Danni agreed, wheezing slightly. "But you didn't, and that's your fault." She raised her gun, pointing it directly at his chest, hoped the Doctor would forgive her then pulled the trigger.

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor felt incredibly conflicting emotions as Danni rushed off to fight Leandro. He was terrified that she would get hurt, or worse, as she fought the alien that was trying to destroy the planet. He wanted to rush over and pull her back but he knew that it was more than likely that they'd both just get killed. It was pretty evident, almost instantly, that she knew exactly how to look after herself and interrupting because of his own fear would probably hinder her rather than help her.

He realised what she was doing. She was buying him time to think of a plan whilst she kept their more immediate problem busy. She hadn't discussed it, she hadn't thought that he needed to be brought in on the plan. She had just looked over the situation, decided what was best and was going for it. She was the better fighter, he was the better thinker, so she'd split them up accordingly. She had defaulted to doing everything on her own again. She didn't think to include him because her plan was just that; hers.

On one hand, her taking control because she still couldn't see people were there to help her was a little devastating. On the other, he really enjoyed watching her take charge. The confidence alone was incredibly attractive.

There was a lot of mixed emotions. All he did know was that if he was going to help and save his wife and everyone else then he needed to close the rift.

"Stop this!" Me cried from his side, hitching her dress off as if she was going to join Danni in her fight. "They are defenceless!"

He grabbed her arm before she could attack Leandro in her anger. "Ashildr!" he cried. "He doesn't care!"

She looked up at him, eyes passionate. "But I do!" she shouted back. She didn't correct him on the use of her old name, instead her eyes widened in shock. "Oh, God, I do," she realised. "I actually do! I-I care!"

He grinned at her. Both he and Danni were worried and horrified at the way her heart had closed on the universe, but just like Danni couldn't keep the caring away neither could Ashildr. The young woman he had saved was still in there and now she was fighting her way to the top.

"It's awful, isn't it?" he asked. "It's infuriating. You think you don't care, then you fall off the wagon."

"Nevermind about me," Ashildr replied. "What are we going to do about them? We have to help them. They need you." She met his eyes and he could see the compassion returning to them. "They need us."

The sound of the gunshot made them both jump in alarm. He spun, eyes wide as he looked for his wife. She was on the floor, on her back, and Leandro had been blasted away from her. He didn't move, but neither did she and the Doctor rushed to her side. His shoes slipped on the mud that the grass had been turned into from the stampede of terrified people and he fell to the floor next to her.

"Danni, Danni…" he started, trailing off as she groaned.

"He's fucking heavy," she grumbled, opening her eyes and looking up at her husband. "I didn't shoot to kill."

He blinked, a little taken aback by her declaration. But he could see in her eyes that she needed him to know so he nodded, helping her and himself off the ground. "I know," he replied. "Are you hurt?"

She looked at her arm, the blood starting to soak into the tatters of her sleeve. Luckily, though, the wound wasn't particularly deep. "I'll be fine," she replied. "What about the King of the Savanah over there?"

Ashildr had gone to his side, quickly checking over the creature she had thought would have been her salvation. He didn't move and he didn't seem to be breathing. The wound on his chest seemed pretty severe. If she had to take a guess, she would have said he was dead. She'd been enough around death to spot it almost instantly.

But she could also spot Danni's desperation when she'd told the Doctor she hadn't intended to kill him. And she knew a woman who counted her dead took it all too seriously for her to be able to let it go now. "I think he's still alive," she told them both, rushing back to their side. "What do we do?"

They both looked at the Doctor, who nodded to himself to get his brain back on track. He ignored the fact that Ashildr was quite obviously lying. He knew why and, for the moment, he appreciated the effort.

"Okay. Okay. Er…" He looked up towards the portal in the sky. The beam of light coming from Sam's lifeforce was still incredibly bright. They needed to shut the portal. "Eyes of Hades. Afterlife. Death opens up a gateway," he listed off. He was always fantastic at spotting a pattern and he noticed it right away. "We need to close it."

The fireballs were becoming more vicious, people were still screaming and Leandro wasn't moving at all. "Yeah, I know, but how?" Ashildr asked.

"Sam Swift, he's the conduit. The amulet, it's still in him. It's his death that's opening the rift," the Doctor explained. "So what do we do?"

Ashildr grinned. "Reverse it."

"But he's already dead," Danni pointed out. "We can't just change that now."

"Oh, yes, we can," Ashildr replied, reaching into her dress where she pulled out the second Mire repair chip the Doctor had left her long ago. Danni shook her head.

"But that'll make him immortal. Like you," she protested.

"It will save everyone," Ashildr countered, turning to rush over to Sam. Danni looked up at her husband.

"But we can't do that to someone else!" she continued to protest. "It's not fair!"

The Doctor could feel her panic. Part of him echoed it as well. But seeing Ashildr fight for the planet gave him some sort of reassurance that Sam would be okay even if he was made immortal. "The power will be drained from reversing the portal. It should bring him back to life and nothing more."

Danni looked at him suspiciously for a moment. "You made that up," she accused.

"All I do is make it up," the Doctor countered. "You've always said I work best when I have to make it up as I go."

Danni couldn't disagree with him there. She still was slightly nervous, though, as Ashildr pressed the patch to Sam's head. The purple stream of energy coming from the amulet turned a bright gold, slowly closing the portal. Danni smacked her husband on the arm. "It's working!" she cried excitedly. He resisted the urge to rub where she'd hit him – she didn't realise just how hard she'd done so, it would seem – but he did grin along.

"It is!" he crowed next to her. She grabbed his hand, bouncing up and down and staring at the sky. She missed the way Leandro's body began to glow before dissolving into dust. He was glad for that, because he hadn't seen her express that much happiness in much too long. Just like Ashildr, this adventure was bringing out the best in her.

The light disappeared and Sam looked around, incredibly confused. "I'm alive?" he asked out loud, looking at the small crowd who were coming out of their hiding places. He looked at his hands. His actual hands. "I'm alive!" he crowed, happier than he had ever been.

Danni all but pulled the Doctor over to the platform as the crowd cheered and Sam laughed because he didn't know what to do. His life had been torn away and then given back to him. Danni caught Ashildr's gaze, seeing the relief in her eyes. She smiled. "That's more like it, isn't it?" she asked the other woman.

"What is?" Ashildr replied, brows furrowed.

"Life," Danni clarified. "Living and let live. It's so much better, isn't it?" The Doctor pulled her close, placing a kiss on her hair and she only shrugged away after letting him do it. Me, or Ashildr she didn't really mind the reminder anymore, watching with a heavy heart; hopefully one day she would be able to find someone to 'let live' with as well.

 _~0~0~0~_

It had been Sam's idea for everyone to celebrate life and freedom at the local tavern, and Danni had insisted that they go. The Doctor hadn't minded too much until they had reached the door, where she had frozen, falling into something that she wasn't ready to share yet. The sign, the wooden door, the slate roof…

"Danielle?"

She looked up at her husband, who looked terribly concerned. Her eyes stung for a moment before she realised that she was about to cry. Even Ashildr and Sam, who hadn't left their side since he'd come back from the dead, looked a bit bewildered and worried.

She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I-I think I might just stay out here," she told them all. "Just for a bit. It's-It's my arm," she gave it a little shrug to show off the scratches, "it's just irritating me."

"Maybe it's time we went home…" the Doctor started but Danni shook her head.

"No, go have fun," she insisted. "You saved the day and I won't be a minute."

Sam clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, come on Doctor. Let's celebrate. Life is fantastic once again!" He manoeuvred the Time Lord into the tavern, leaving Me at Danni's side.

She watched the travelling woman stare at the building, trying desperately to suppress the memory back into whatever little box she had placed it in. Me shuffled slightly, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry if I brought up bad memories for you," she said sincerely.

"We all have bad memories of many things. Even those we've forgotten," Danni replied. "But mainly they're just ones you wish you could forget."

"The Doctor is a good man. If you told him, he'd forgive you," Me told her.

"I know," Danni replied. "He'd forgive most things I've done."

"But you can't forgive yourself," Me finished. Danni nodded slowly. "Do you wish you were like me? My memories only span a hundred years or so. You would forget, eventually?"

Danni shook her head. "My memories are dying off too," she explained. "I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Bad memories are still part of you. That woman who you saw in the tavern? She was still me. I never want to forget who I am." She sighed heavily.

Me watched her for a moment longer. There was more going on in her head than even she could read. "You should come inside," she instructed. "Whichever part of you that you think the Doctor wouldn't approve of is still part of you. If he doesn't approve then maybe you've got a bigger problem on your hands than some bad memories."

She headed into the tavern, opening the door on loud merriment and celebration. She quickly spotted the table that the Doctor had been sat at by Sam. He didn't look best pleased to be on his own, but Me did feel a slight amount of smugness as he perked up slightly at her appearance.

"Danielle still outside?" he asked her.

"She'll be in soon enough, Doctor," Me replied in amusement. "You can survive a few more minutes without her."

"I survived more than a few minutes without her. I just don't want to, that's all."

Me looked around the room, at all the silly little humans enjoying their short, fleeting lives. Her eyes fell on Sam Swift, who was surrounded by friends and laughing like he didn't have a care in the world. "Is he immortal now?"

The Doctor looked over his shoulder at the thief. "Do you want him to be?"

"I don't think I want anyone to be," Ashildr admitted.

That was a good answer. Even the Doctor, who hadn't wanted to lose his wife to death as was inevitable with humans, also never wished immortality on her. He just had wished to spend his life with her.

"You're still not going to take me with you, are you," Me stated rather than asked. She knew the answer and the Doctor didn't even look guilty.

"People like us, we go on too long. We forget what matters. The last thing we need is each other," he explained. "We need the mayflies." He nodded behind him towards Sam Swift. "See, the mayflies, they know more than we do. They know how beautiful and precious life is because it's fleeting. Look how Sam Swift made every last moment count, right to the gallows. Look how glad he is to be alive. I looked into your eyes and I saw my worst fears. Weariness. Emptiness."

Me looked over at Sam, watching him joke and laugh with the people around him. The Doctor was right; they were too big, too vast. People like Sam brought them back down to Earth. They showed them the joys of life when they were too far away to see it. "Who is your mayfly?" she asked. "You and Danni are vast, just like me. Who shows you the 'beauty of life'?"

He smiled slightly. Fondly. "Danni wasn't always immortal," he explained. "Well, actually, she was, but we didn't know it. She was brought up to be fleeting. She saw every moment as it was – unique, and new, and wonderful. When we found out that she was like me she never lost that. She's terrified that she will but I've seen it. Centuries of heartache and pain and she still lives each day like it's her last. She sees the wonder in the universe when I can't see it, and in turn I can show her it when she fails to notice it around her."

"Some people would call that incredibly sentimental," Me pointed out. The Doctor nodded.

"Some people would call me an incredibly sentimental person," he replied. "That's not the worst thing to be." He picked up the drink Sam had bought him as if he was going to take a sip. Instead he pointed it at Me. "I travelled with another immortal once. Danielle's father. Captain Jack Harkness."

Me's nose wrinkled in her confusion. "Who?"

The Doctor thought back on Jack. He was the man who had given him his wife. He'd been a good companion, and a great friend. He was so used to him always being around that, for a moment, he'd forgotten that now was not his time. "He'll get 'round to you eventually," he replied with a hint of a joke that he knew she would understand eventually. "How did you know we were coming?"

Ashildr paused for a moment, looking him over as she worked out if she should tell him, or pay close attention to Danni's threat. It wasn't her story to tell, after all.

Then she thought to the woman outside, who was so obviously desperate for someone to talk to that Me could practically smell it. She could pick out people's weaknesses, after all. It was a talent she had cultivated over many, _many_ years. Danni was hiding from her husband, and he in turn was looking for others to heal for it.

"A woman," she started. "I was in a tavern, much like this one. I was on my own and she approached me. She wore the strangest clothes and really didn't belong. And she came with your wife."

The Doctor's hearts, for one moment, stopped completely. " _Missy_ ," he breathed.

"She never gave a name," Me replied, but the Doctor knew that she was exactly who had approached Ashildr in the tavern. "She had come to tell me that you were coming, and that the only thing she asked me to do in return was tell you what happened."

He frowned. "What happened?" he repeated.

"Danni was sat with two men. Two men that, it would seem, she had been sold to." His hands clenched on the table top and Me watched with a critical gaze. She'd seen him hopeful and tired, but never furious. "It wasn't particularly pleasant, but I live and lived in unpleasant times. It didn't seem out of the ordinary. Danni, though, hadn't been told what was happening to her. Let's just say she was less than pleased when she found out she'd been handed off for the price of a beer. She fought against the two men, and then she killed one of them."

The Doctor leant back, the air leaving him at the revelation before he rocked slightly, realising he was on a stool and not a chair. Danni had killed someone. She had been sold. Had that happened before? Had the others gotten much further than the men in the tavern? Why would Missy even allow someone else near what she had deemed as 'hers'? Money wasn't exactly high on the list of priorities for any of them. She had time travel. A couple of pennies for a pint wasn't going to be even on her list of worries.

"They disappeared a moment later and I never saw her again. Of course, I saw you and your wife when you stumbled into my heist," Me continued. "I did see something, though, before they disappeared."

The Doctor quickly rose his gaze, meeting her eyes. "What?"

"The face of a horrified woman," Me said. "Danni did not want to kill that man, like she didn't want to kill Leandro."

"That's why you didn't tell her he was dead," the Doctor guessed and she nodded. "You knew she would take it hard. You cared for her feelings."

"You've both shown me that we need to look out for each other," Me explained. "We can leave devastation in our wake without much thought. Just as I did today, you and your wife make waves. You travel the stars, leaving people in the dust. I'll be keeping a close eye on those you leave behind."

"So are we enemies now?" the Doctor asked her.

She smiled. "Of course not. Enemies are never a problem. It's your friends you have to watch out for. And, my friend, I'll be watching out for both of you."

He couldn't help but smile back. "Ashildr, I think I'm very glad I saved you," he said, for the first time being sure that he really was.

"Oh, I think everyone will be."

 _~0~0~0~_

The rage was overwhelming. The room actually seemed to be tinged with a red hue, much like a cartoon. The noises fell away and the Earth became deathly silent. All except for the door closing behind her. It swung shut, smashing against the frame and the three people left in the room stared at her. One with worry, one with heartbreak, and one with fear.

Danni's lips pulled back, a snarl on her face as she met the eyes of Ashildr.

"I'm so sorry…"

" _You_ ," she snarled. "This is all on you. All of this. Everything. This is all on you."

"I never meant..."

With an inhuman amount of speed, Danni moved forward. She shoved Me against the wall, pressing her arm against her throat and pinned her tightly.

"You may never be able to die," she started with a snarl. "But I will kill you again and again for what you have done. I will _burn_ you over and over until the end of the universe. You will not survive what you've done to Clara."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Hello everybody! Hope you're all having a great day! If you are, great! If not, well, I hope this gives you a few minutes of respite :)_

 _Just a reminder that it's Danni's Anniversary this Sunday (3rd June) so come join the fun! And keep an eye on the Outtakes because a new one will be going up that evening._

 _Reviews :)_

 _ **bored411** \- Yeah, I very much enjoyed the flirting! It was inevitable with her parents XD_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Hehe maybe, or just another coincidence. You can never tell with Danni :P I also wouldn't like to say XD _

_**Michael Thomas1** \- I'm going to address this here and I'm not going to address it again. I've been doing this for five years, so guess what? I do rather care and you do not get to tell me otherwise. This is not my job and I do not get paid for it. I'll put as much time as **I** see fit and if I feel like sitting around not writing for a week or more, that's up to me. If I decide to post seventeen chapters in one day, that's also up to me. I appreciate you reading my story, but it is just that - **mine.**_


	32. A Little Backstory

Clara felt nervous, and it wasn't something she particularly wanted to feel. She wanted to feel confident. She wanted to feel strong, and independent and totally not falling apart at the seams. She wanted to be desirable and needed and something people couldn't live without.

Seeing Danni had shown that she wasn't as necessary in their lives as she thought she would be. Time kept ticking, the Time Lords kept travelling and it had really hurt. She just wanted to be wanted. She wanted to be important.

She sat at the table in the rather posh coffee shop, smoothing her skirt around her legs and trying her best not to seem nervous. It was stupid to be nervous. She was perfect for the job and she knew that. Her confidence in her abilities had been shook but it was still there. She was _good._ She was pretty damn good.

She should have chosen somewhere where she could have gotten a glass a wine, but she settled for a latte. She had just managed to calm herself down when Kate Stewart and Osgood walked in. It was strange, seeing one Osgood without the other, and her heart broke slightly for the woman. She was still styling herself as the Doctor, but she could see the heartache behind. She felt so terrible for her, although she knew she'd never understand just what she had lost. She just knew that she knew loss very well.

Kate sat down in front of her, Osgood to the side. "I hope you don't mind, I already ordered," Clara said, motioning to her cup.

"Not at all. This place does wonderful coffee," Kate replied as a server appeared at the table. She placed a cup in front of Kate and then one in front of Osgood before leaving.

"How-You just came in," Clara said, bewildered.

"One of the many perks of working for UNIT," Kate explained in amusement before taking a sip of her own drink.

Osgood leant slightly forward in her chair. "You said you had good news," she prompted. "Did you find the Doctor? Is he alright?"

Clara tried not to grimace too much, feeling a little guilty that she'd not thought to contact them sooner. "The Doctor is fine," she reassured. If Kate felt any relief she didn't show it. Osgood did that enough for both of them. "Um, well, Missy took us back and as we suspected, the Doctor was throwing a party. He was expecting to go to his death and so… well," she shook her head, "the details of that aren't important. Daleks showed up and we were taken to Skaro where Davros was waiting."

"Davros?" Osgood repeated. "The creator of the Daleks?"

"You've heard of him, then?"

"The earth has had previous dealings with him," Kate replied. "Davros wasn't there for a friendly chat, I should suspect."

"Actually, by the sounds of it, that's what it started as," Clara replied, much to their surprise. "I've only heard it third hand, but apparently Davros was dying and had called the Doctor in to talk to him. It didn't turn out that way, obviously, but we escaped and the Daleks and Davros were stopped."

"I've heard that more than once," Kate stated cynically. "So the Doctor escaped again?" Clara nodded. "And now he's back looking for Danielle. Does he need our help?"

Clara, again, shook her head. "On that planet was more than the Daleks and Davros. Danni was there too."

"You found her?" Osgood breathed, pushing her glasses up her nose. If she leant in any closer she was going to fall off her chair, Clara was sure of it.

"She found us," Clara corrected with a smile. She'd not recognised Danni to begin with, but seeing her confident and cheeky, and a little bit flirty, wasn't something she was going to forget. It had been one hell of an image. "Missy came to me not because the Doctor was dying, but because Danni had escaped and she didn't know where she'd gone. Luckily Danni got to us first and she's back on the TARDIS. She's safe."

There was a moment of pause as the two processed the new information. "That is good news indeed," Kate agreed. "Definitely cause for a nice coffee."

"Most definitely," Osgood agreed with a nod. She seemed slightly less heartbroken, which Clara was very glad about. It really was good news and it was nice to be able to share it with people who cared almost as much as she did. "I'm not sure what that has to do with your job, though."

For a moment Clara had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. "Our intelligence tells us you handed your notice in for your job two weeks ago," Kate continued and Clara understood completely. "I'm not sure how we can help you with your teaching career."

"That's because I don't want to be a teacher anymore," Clara replied. "I was- Well, I was hoping you might have a job for me."

Osgood looked surprised. Kate did not. "You want to work for UNIT?" the officer asked. Clara nodded.

"I-I think I could be quite valuable," she said without a single stutter. "I'm not sure what as. I don't know what you positions you have available. If you have any available. But I think—" she shook her head, "-I _know_ I would be useful."

Kate didn't reply for a moment. She looked over Clara, who was slowly becoming convinced she was trying to be intimidating on purpose. "Our intelligence also suggests that you haven't been travelling with the Doctor for a while," she stated. "You're due a trip away any day."

Clara shook her head. "I no longer travel with them," she said, which she was sure Kate had been trying to get her to say. She took a deep breath and sat up straighter. "I have no personal life, no boyfriend or girlfriend, and next Friday I will have no job. What I do have is a lot of off world knowledge and a direct line to the most important alien in the universe."

"We can contact the Doctor any time we please," Kate replied. "You know as much as I that getting him to answer is the issue."

"I'm not talking about the Doctor, I'm talking about Danni," Clara said. "I may not be travelling with them anymore, but Danni is my best friend and I know I'll always be hers. I can contact her at any moment and she will answer. And she will come if I need her."

Kate smirked, as if she had been waiting for that very piece of information. "That certainly would be useful," she confirmed, much to Clara's delight. "The Doctor has never been fond of soldiers."

"The Doctor isn't very fond of me at all," Clara retorted before straightening slightly, flattening the skirt she was wearing. "Plus, the bravest man I knew was a soldier. I don't see anything wrong with it."

Kate shared a look with Osgood. "I think that's all we need to hear," she stated. She took another sip of her coffee. "We cannot promise you a position right now, you understand Miss Oswald."

"But we can definitely arrange something today," Osgood finished for her. She'd pulled out a tablet from her bag. Clara smiled. For some reason Osgood just seemed to be more herself when she was doing something science-y. "We've already got all of your background checks on file, so that shouldn't be an issue. We'll have to contact you once we've found something appropriate."

"For now, though," Kate said, effectively ending the impromptu interview. "I feel we should celebrate Danielle's safe return." She held her hand up, motioning for some more drinks.

Osgood looked up from her tablet, eyes eager. "Oh, yes, do tell," she encouraged. "What happened? How did she find you?"

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor knew Danni was worried about him. Even though she did her best time hide her emotions from the universe just in case someone saw them who wanted to use them against her, she was still shockingly awful at hiding her concern for him. As always it was conflicting because he loved having her concern but hated concerning her.

But he couldn't help but concern her. He knew that he'd been behaving a little strangely since they'd left Ashildr and Sam Swift together. He just wasn't sure how to process all of the information he'd been given over the short amount of time they'd spent with the Knightmare.

Danni was worried about not caring about people, or the universe anymore. He understood that concern well and it had overcome him when he'd regenerated to his current body. Good men cared, but all he cared about was being with his wife again? Did that make him a bad man?

It had taken him a long time, and a few nudges in the right direction, to find his way. She hadn't had that help so he was there to show her that she still cared, that she still was a good person. She needed that just like had needed that, and they had always helped each other.

She had killed someone. More than one, it would seem. That she even knew of.

That was conflicting as well. She was his Danielle, she was _good_. And yet she'd taken lives. Hadn't he taken lives as well? Hadn't he spent one lonely, dark, horrid night when she had been jumping around his timeline and he'd felt truly on his own counting the children he'd killed on Gallifrey? Her low count of people was nothing compared to the death he left in his wake.

But she didn't kill. She stopped him, she saved him, she never hurt people unless there was no other option. Maybe that's where her count had come from. Necessity. Maybe it had been her or them.

Missy had sold her. That still sat strange. Missy had wanted no one but herself near Danni, so he knew there was more going on there than was showing on the surface. Just the thought of Danni being in that situation, one where she was at someone's mercy enough to be _sold_ , made his blood boil.

He knew Danni saw those moments. When his hands clenched and he had to refrain from ranting and raving. She would shoot him a look that said that, for a moment, she was working out just how much of a threat he was. Then it would disappear and the concern would replace it. She never asked what was wrong, though. She was just try and distract him from his anger.

Oh, how she could be _very_ distracting.

But what could he do? He wasn't there and Danni wouldn't share. He'd kept what Ashildr had told him to himself and Danni wasn't exactly being forthcoming with the information. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, and not one of them he wanted the answer to. Not really.

What if she'd killed the man because she wanted to?

What if she'd killed _anyone_ because she had wanted to?

What if Missy had much more of an influence on her current regeneration than either of them would like to admit?

It was a thought he hated to have, especially seeing her distress at even _wounding_ Leandro. She had been so terrified that he thought she had, for one moment, tried to kill him that she still didn't know that she actually had. He couldn't hurt her with that information. It would bring no benefit and it wouldn't change anything. And Ashildr had been convinced that she hadn't wanted to hurt anyone.

So why wasn't he?

It was because he _just didn't know_. He'd given her the space to tell him and, while he'd learnt about some things, there was so much he knew that she wasn't saying. So much he knew he wasn't ever going to know because he hadn't been there, and she couldn't spend the next however-long telling him about every single moment. And even if they did, even if she told it to him like a bedtime story, he still hadn't experienced it. He couldn't pretend he knew what it felt like, or how it changed her. All he knew was how it had changed _him_.

He remembered, long ago, when she had been ginger and incredibly young he enjoyed learning every single thing about her like it was new. She was out of sync, but she surprised him even centuries in with little pieces of the puzzle that Danielle Fielding had been. Then, when they were settled and together for the long haul, he enjoyed the moments where he could look at her and know exactly what she was going to do next because he just knew her _that_ well.

It was with a strange start one day that he realised that he hadn't lost her. She wasn't this stranger in the guise of his wife that he had to sort into the good or bad pile. She was Danielle Fielding. He was just back at the first stage and there was nothing wrong with that. Danielle Fielding had always been some sort of an enigma to him and there had never been a point in his life he'd wished that not to be true. Sure, there had been that rocky year where she'd stayed with Clara, but even then, it wasn't her mystery he had wanted to change, it had been the way he looked at her.

Maybe she had killed the man because she wanted to, but he very much doubted it and everything he had seen and knew about her so far suggested that nothing had changed in that regard. There was so much he didn't know but, instead of being scared of it, he was excited. He was eager. He was ready.

When he'd come into the workshop she had looked at him, once again, like evaluating the threat he might have been. Then, once again, she looked at him in concern. She placed her sonic screwdriver on top of the dining table she had been looking to take apart and turned to him.

"Is everything alright?" she asked. He nodded, shutting the door behind him. There it was; she was still looking out for him. He knew that hadn't changed, and yet it suddenly became another item on the list of things he knew about her.

"Let's go on a date," he declared. She blinked, surprised.

"Excuse me?"

"When's the last time we went on a date?" he continued like her surprise was what he had been expecting. "Dinner, dancing, the whole cliché nonsense."

His words could have suggested that he didn't particularly want to go on a date with her, yet his grin and enticing look said that he was incredibly keen to do just that.

"What about flowers?" Danni asked to test the waters.

"I'll even get you a box of chocolates in one of those heart-shaped boxes where you chuck half of them away because of the horrid flavours," he promised. She nodded as if that was exactly what she had been looking for.

"I'll have to find an appropriate dress," she warned him. "It'll take time to find one with the right number of petticoats. Will we get a limo?"

"The longest I can afford," he replied. They stared at each other for a moment before he laughed in delight, striding over and pulling her in for a kiss she readily returned.

He pressed his forehead against hers. "I love your sense of humour," he admitted proudly. "And everything new thing I learn."

Her brows furrowed slightly. "What's gotten into you?" she asked, flattered but confused by his words.

"Nothing," he said. "Just so happy to get to know you." He caught her lips once more before backing away. "Find that dress. We're going out!"

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara's first day at UNIT started with her walking up to the Tower of London, butterflies in her stomach and a fantastic new haircut. The shortness really suited her. As did the pantsuit that she'd chosen to be both practical and good-looking. She wanted her first impression to be 'smart yet completely on top of her life'.

Of course, that relied on the people she encountered not knowing who she was. Most of them did. Not only was she the former companion of the Doctor and Danni, and best friends of one of them as well, but she had been to UNIT headquarters on a number of occasions and had met pretty much everyone she was going to encounter already.

Still, she strode in like she was new and yet owned the place, making sure that everyone knew that she knew _exactly_ what she was doing, although no one had really given her much of a clue in that regard. She'd just been told to come in on Monday morning and someone would show her the ropes.

What ropes, again, she had no idea.

But it was nice to feel excited for once. To be greeted with a smile and know that she was going to see something new, something very few people had seen before. She had enjoyed her time teaching children, now it was time to learn herself. She had a wealth of knowledge ahead of her and, as she was taken into the laboratory underneath the Tower of London and greeted by both Osgood and Kate, she knew it was going to be amazing.

"Good morning, Miss Oswald," Kate greeted.

Osgood offered her own little nod. "Hello, Clara."

She smiled brightly at the both. "Morning," she greeted in return. All around her were computers, and monitors, and everything looked incredibly science-y. People were rushing around slightly, but nothing seemed particularly frenzied.

"Ma'am," said someone in a white coat. Kate turned to them and they handed her a tablet. "First reports are coming in."

Kate nodded before turning to Clara. "I'm sorry I can't help you settle in more. You'll be shadowing Osgood for the next week or so. She'll have to show you around."

Clara barely had time to wave off Kate's apology and she was gone. "Must be important," Clara commented.

Osgood nodded. "You've chosen to start on a very busy week," she replied, as if Clara had chosen this Monday on purpose. "We've had some reports of a few rogue Zygons trying to throw the ceasefire into chaos."

Clara frowned. "That doesn't sound busy," she retorted. "That sounds dangerous."

Osgood shook her head. "Nothing we can't handle," she replied, glancing to her side as if expecting someone there. Clara felt a twinge of sympathy as she realised she was looking for her twin. She seemed to recover quite quickly from it, though. "This happens from time to time, but it means we're on red alert for the next few days. I've not been home since Saturday."

"How close are we to the Nightmare Scenario?" she asked.

"Very far," Osgood promised. "It'll just be a few teenagers, nothing to be too concerned about. We've been in contact with a couple of the High Council members around the city. They've not reported anything worrisome yet."

That was reassuring. Clara really didn't want the end of the ceasefire between the humans and the Zygons to end on her first week in a new job. She was going to have enough trouble getting used to the change of pace as it was.

She clapped her hands together. "Show me what I can do to help," she declared.

Osgood grinned. "That's the spirit," she praised before pulling out a few pieces of paper from underneath her own tablet. "We're going to check on the reports from the US, then you have a full day ahead of you."

She handed Clara an itinerary that, on even just the first glance, showed Clara the worst part of any job; introductory training.

"Is this… Is this really Health and Safety over the ravens in the gardens?" she asked Osgood. "What could there possibly be apart from 'leave them alone'?"

"It's part of a broader 'don't touch any tech you're not familiar with' group of lessons," she replied. She must have seen the distain on Clara's face because she shot her an apologetic look. "Don't worry, it's only for the next week or so. Then you'll be dropped straight in it without any help from anyone."

"I hope so," Clara grumbled before she realised how she sounded. "I-I mean, not the no help bit, that sounds a bit mean. I meant more of the 'getting stuck in' part of that."

Osgood just looked amused. "I know," she replied. "Come on, let me show you around."

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara was tired. _So_ tired. So amazingly tired that her bed felt like the best place on the planet and yet so entirely too far away. She was only in the doorway of the bedroom, she could _see_ her bed and yet it felt too far away.

UNIT was… well, UNIT was busy. She hadn't realised just how busy it was going to be and she had gone in with overconfidence that she was just be able to wing it. Then she'd had training, more training, and a couple of attempted hostile takeovers and she realised that winging it really wasn't an option.

Danni had once told her that an old Prime Minister had taken drastic action to stop word of Earth getting out into the cosmos in fear of being attacked. Harriet Jones had tried to do her best, but Clara had quickly learnt that even by then it was much too late. Earth was overrun with aliens. It really _was_ like _Men in Black_. Clara had loved that movie. She had a soft spot for Will Smith.

Now that she was living it, though, she really wished that Hollywood had just kept their stupid mouths shut. No one wants to see their work on the screen. It was why she never used to like movies about teachers. Now movies about alien bureaus just annoyed her.

Will Smith didn't, though. That man could do no wrong in her eyes.

Clara almost jumped out of her skin as her phone rang in her pocket. She'd, apparently, been leaning against the doorframe to her bedroom, drifting off to thoughts of _Independence Day_. She really needed to get to bed and she had a horrid feeling in her stomach that it was going to be work asking her to come back in. Perhaps she should have held 'direct phoneline to the TARDIS' back for later on her in career.

She pulled her phone out and almost dropped it in surprise at the name. It woke her up and she turned to her mirror, checking her hair and makeup to make sure that she didn't look too sleep deprived. Then, when she realised just how ridiculous that was, she answered the phone.

"D-Danni!" she greeted happily, her heart racing slightly. "Hello!"

" _Hey. Is everything alright?_ " Danni asked, sounding rather concerned.

"Of-Of course it is," Clara replied, walking over to her bed to sit down on it like she was cool and collected. She slipped off the very edge but caught herself before she fell to the floor. "Why? Shouldn't I be?"

" _No, you just took longer to answer than usual_ ," Danni reasoned. " _I was concerned something was happening."_

"Oh, I'm just heading to bed, that's all," Clara explained while also wondering just how long she had been checking herself over in the mirror. "Is everything alright your end?"

" _Yes, why wouldn't it be_?" Danni replied shortly.

"Because you're calling me. And you said it in that voice," Clara replied knowingly. "What's wrong?"

Danni sighed, like she had thought Clara wouldn't have seen through her clever rouse. _"We ran into Ashildr again_ ," she explained. " _She saw me with Missy and I know she told the Doctor about it, but he's not asked me about it_."

"Oh," Clara replied a little redundantly. "Is-Is it bad, what happened?"

" _It was Missy, what do you think?_ " Danni retorted and Clara grimaced slightly.

"Yeah, sorry, stupid question," she agreed. "Is it bad, then, that he's not asking?"

" _I-I don't know,"_ Danni admitted. " _I want to ask, but at the same time I don't. I was just… Is this normal behaviour, you know, for him not to ask?"_

Clara frowned. "You're asking me about your husband?" she asked slowly. "You know he doesn't like me, don't you?"

" _Maybe not, but you know him very well. I've missed loads of time. I'm just… I'm not sure, anymore, you know? And you're the only person I can ask for help from._ "

"I'm just going to tell you to ask him, you know that right?" Clara replied.

" _I know,"_ Danni replied. " _I was just hoping that I wouldn't have to do that._ "

"Why? It's what you actually _want_ to do."

" _So?_ " Danni countered before hesitating slightly. " _I-Well, I want to, but I also don't. And I was hoping that my best friend, the woman who walked out on this wonderfully beautiful personification of time travel…"_

"Yes, yes, I get it," Clara interrupted. "You love me, I left you, it's a tragegy. This is the last time you get to pull that card."

Danni sighed. " _Fine,_ " she conceded. " _But you've got to admit, I'm a pretty pefect beautiful personification of the time travel experience."_

"Sure," Clara replied, glad Danni wasn't there to see the way her cheeks darkened just slightly. "He's probably not talking to you about it because he's scared of upsetting you. You know what he's like; even now he thinks you're made of glass. If you want to know what he knows and what he thinks, _you're_ going to have to do it yourself."

" _You're right. I know you're right,"_ Danni replied. " _I'll get onto that. How about you?"_

Clara frowned. "What-What about me?"

" _How's your life going? How's work? School keeping you busy?"_

Clara's eyes widened. She hadn't told them she'd quit, or that she'd gotten a new job and she still wasn't ready for them to know she was starting to work with UNIT. Danni had worked for UNIT, and she'd enjoyed it, but for some reason that felt different to actively seeking them out to work for them. The Doctor and Danni had a strange relationship with UNIT, and they had a strange relationship with her, so keeping them separate seemed a good thing at that moment.

Of course, that was what got her in trouble with Danny Pink.

"Oh, yeah, very busy. Exams and stuff, you know?" she dismissed.

" _That's what you get for working with children. It's your own fault. Missing us?"_

"Nah," she replied. "Why would I miss you two? You can't leave me alone."

" _You're the boss, we still need to check in on occasion,_ " Danni said cheekily. " _Need to know we're doing a good job. I gotta go, sweetie. I'll call you next week."_

Clara stared at her phone for a while after Danni had hung up. Sometimes it was like she had never left, and sometimes it was so obvious Danni had changed that it hit her in the face. Danni loved children and she'd loved working at the school. And she would talk on the phone for hours if given half the chance.

She seemed more confident with her place on the TARDIS now, though, which was good.

Clara had a lot more thinking to do with Danni, but for now she had a date with her bed, a long night sleep and perhaps a visit from Will Smith.

 _~0~0~0~_

" _For all our apprehensions, we have no choice but to press ahead. We must do so, first, in the name of compassion. By turning out backs on technological change, we would be expressing our satisfaction with current world levels of hunger, disease, and privation."_

The Doctor paused in his soft strumming, looking rather annoyed by the passage she was reading out. "And this is in an engineering book?" She nodded. "But that's not about engineering."

"Yes it is," she replied. "He's just being very poetic about it, that's all." She shifted on her chair. She'd taken perch on his favourite chair in the console room and now it was her favourite as well. If the Doctor minded he didn't say. "Plus, you know what the Americans are like. It was for the Bicentennial, it was bound to be a bit over the top."

"A little over the top," the Doctor replied. "If you're interested in engineering I'll take you to San Francisco to the construction of the Golden Gate bridge."

"You've already done that. Remember, with Donna? You thought it would be funny because she wasn't a fan of heights and then we ended up chasing that blue dogite down the bay?"

The Doctor did remember, and he remembered it being his awful attempt at getting some time with Danni in somewhere slightly remotely romantic to test out whether he was really starting to fall for her. He had been, but it wasn't exactly what he'd call a proper date.

Still, he wasn't happy that she didn't remember it like that, so he went back to playing the guitar, this time getting into a rather rock-heavy version of _Amazing Grace_. It was an easy song that packed a bit of a punch, if he said so himself. Well, he didn't _say_ it, he just played it.

Danni looked over the top of her book, smiling in amusement to herself. She knew the Doctor in a sulk, and that was a Doctor in a sulk. He obviously wasn't too happy that she'd shot down his idea. Next time she'd play along regardless.

Speaking of playing along…

She stood up, heading down the stairs and back up the ones he was sat on. She reached out, stilling his hands on the strings. He frowned, tilting his head to one side. She was smiling and she was obviously enjoying herself, so her stopping him from playing any further made very little sense.

"Is everything alright?" he asked. She nodded.

"Never better," she promised. "I have a request."

His eyes lit up with amusement. "Oh?"

She nodded. "Do you know anything by _the Killers_?"

He should have known. No matter what the body she seemed to have a love of that particular 21st century band. Luckily for him her love for musicals involving green ogres seemed to have waned slightly, but he was happy to know that some things persisted.

When he'd first picked the guitar back up and realised just how much he actually enjoyed playing he hadn't known anything by the Killers. As Danni's absence grew longer, however, he ended up teaching some of their songs to himself. It had felt like if he'd known something he knew she loved, he'd find her even quicker. It hadn't worked – obviously, why _would_ that have worked? – but he was glad that the effort hadn't gone completely to waste.

Danni grinned as he gently moved her hands out of the way, starting to play a song that he knew that she would love. The recognition was instantaneous and she leant up to place a kiss on his cheek before heading back to her book.

 _It started with a low light_

 _Next thing I knew they ripped me from my bed_

"And then they took my blood type. They left a strange impression in my head," Danni sang softly to herself as she continued to read. She really enjoyed listening to the Doctor play, even more than she'd enjoyed music so far in this regeneration. It wasn't something she sought out anymore. For a long time, it used to annoy her because it would drown out anything that she needed to pay attention to. Now that she wasn't so concerned with being aware of things she needed to run from, she was enjoying it a lot more.

Plus, as she looked up over the top of her book, he really knew how to take on that 'musician and genius' persona. It really suited him. She loved it.

She frowned as she heard some faint beeping through his guitar. He didn't seem to even notice from his perch on the other side of the stairs from her, but she heard it almost immediately. It seemed that she still was listening out for anything even slightly out of the ordinary. She paused her reading, placing her book flat on the side table so she didn't lose her page, and headed down towards the console.

The Doctor didn't move from his spot, nor did he stop playing, but he watched her with furrowed brows as she reached for the monitor and pulled it towards her.

 _[Incoming Message…] Osgood_

 _NIGHTMATE SCENARIO_

"Doctor!" Danni called up, voice low and he immediately stopped playing. He placed his guitar down and hopped down the stairs to her. "It's happening again."

He watched the message flash on the screen, telling him everything he needed to know in two little words. "We can't leave them alone for five minutes, can we?" he said to his wife.

"Yeah, well, they're only human and Zygon. They can't be expected to play nice all of the time," she replied, looking up at him. "Off to find Kate, then?"

He shook his head. "We need to find out how bad it's going," he countered.

"So, ground work first?" Danni asked and he nodded. "How about Fred and Holly at the bank? They will probably have a good idea what's happening?"

"Nah, Fred's dull," the Doctor dismissed. He was already piloting the TARDIS, a destination firmly in mind. "Jemima and Claudette will know more. They were promoted a while ago, they're now the Zygon High Command in their school."

Danni shifted slightly on the spot. "Really, a school?" she asked. "Do we have to?"

"We're not going to the school," the Doctor promised, although he wasn't sure why she didn't want to go in the first place. "They'll have the intelligence we need. Then we'll go to Kate."

That made Danni smile slightly. "I haven't seen Kate or the Osgoods in forever," she said happily. "It'll be nice to catch up with them. You know, once the impending doom is taken care of."

"Ah."

Danni looked at her husband, who had paused in his movements. "Ah?" she repeated. "What's 'ah'?"

"I never told you about Osgood, did I?" he asked. He felt a little guilty, but he also really didn't want to bring it up with her now. He didn't want to upset her just before they went to save the Earth again – something was bound to upset her there anyway so he really hadn't wanted to pre-emptively hurt her.

"What about them?" Danni asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What haven't you told me?"

He turned, leaning against the console. He knew a lot about his wife and was learning a lot more about her current personality. He knew how she was going to take the news which he had forgotten to break to her at a better moment. She was just as attached to their friends as he was, and she held almost as much guilt as he did when it came to them.

"It wasn't your fault," he stated. "Remember that, alright?"

Danni pressed her lips together for a moment, hiding the sharp intake of breath that came just before the anger. There was only one reason he was saying that.

"It was Missy, wasn't it?" Danni asked in reply.

He nodded. "We had her captured for a short while. One of the Osgoods was with her, trying to work out what she was doing with the Cybermen. She killed her."

Danni let out one short, angry laugh. "And Missy was messing with the Cybermen to get hold of me," she finished. "Great. Osgood must hate me."

"I'm sure, much like the rest of the universe, Osgood hates Missy," the Doctor replied, which Danni couldn't necessarily deny.

Danni sighed. "It's always going to come back to her, isn't it?" she said softly. "It's always going to be Missy, no matter what. I'm never going to escape her."

"You already did," the Doctor pointed out. "And it will take time but you will stop seeing her in everything." Danni couldn't look him in the eyes because she didn't believe him, not really. He reached out and cupped her face, lifting it up so she was looking at him properly. He gave her the softest smile he could. "You will," he promised again. "You escaped from her and I will keep her from you. The aftermath may be longer than we both like, but that's just what it is; an aftermath. She's gone."

Danni wanted to protest. Missy had escaped which meant, eventually, she would track them down and try and take her again. Danni was Missy's _pet_ , after all, her property. She wasn't going to allow the Doctor to keep Danni whilst she was still alive to take possession again.

She didn't say anything, though. She just shot the Doctor a half-arsed smile and he leant forward to place a kiss on her forehead. It made her feel slightly better, as did the little nudge of his mind on hers to remind her that he was very much her Theta, and not some mind trick or dream. She pressed up, catching his lips before he could get too far away, the soft kiss helping solidify his presence with her even more.

She could tell it helped him too, because he looked distinctly happier when they broke apart. "Now, then, shall we go see if these children can play nicely?" he asked her.

She let out another sigh, although this time she sounded much more like an exasperated parent. "Honestly, we can't leave them alone for five minutes," she said.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Hi everybody!_

 _I just wanted to thank everyone who joined in for Danni's 5th Anniversary! Check out Tumblr for more. And there's a story in the Outtakes you may all want to take a look at if you haven't already. **The Story of Danielle Fielding** is live :D_

 _Reviews :)_

 _ **Midnight** **Alley** \- Thanks sweetie!_

 _ **BlueFlame27** \- Hehe yeah, I thought people would like that part :P I'm glad you picked up on that, I thought it added a little something._

 _ **Authora97** \- Yeah... Face the Raven is going to be fun :D_

 _ **bored411** \- Thanks sweetie! I thought it would be confusing, considering that he was always so against it XD_


	33. The New Job

In a park, in London, sat two very strange people. One was an older gentleman in sunglasses and a hoodie, the other was a younger woman with brown hair and a leather skirt. Both of them were sat on the swings, watching as a troop of school children in their uniforms were lead into the area by their teachers.

Danni shifted slightly on her swing, letting herself rock back and forth on it. "This feels rather creepy," she commented. "We don't have kids. Two adults sat in a park looks a little like we're… I dunno, planning our next abduction."

"We're not abducting anyone," the Doctor replied as the children all rushed in, heading to their favourite parts of the playground. "We're just here to talk."

Two young girls, both with blonde hair and pigtails and looked pretty identical, paused to look at the pair for a long moment before they headed off to play with their peers.

"They recognised us," Danni commented. "But they didn't seem surprised. They were expecting us."

"Nothing good ever comes from being expected," the Doctor replied and Danni nodded in agreement. "We're supposed to be in deep cover. No one's supposed to recognise us."

"You're wearing sunglasses," she countered. "That's not as deep a cover as you think it is. Plus, as I said before, we're two adults without kids at a park. People are going to notice us."

The Doctor shook his head; his disguises were always amazing. She only saw through them because she knew him so well. She'd see that soon enough.

He stood up off the swing. "Come on."

Danni grimaced slightly. "I-I think it might be best if I stay here and _you_ go gather the intel."

The Doctor frowned. "Why?"

"Because…I like the swing," she offered lamely, giving herself a couple of swings back and forth to reiterate her point. He stared at her, like he didn't believe her and she sighed. "I just- I don't do well with kids," she told him. "I don't know what it is. I don't know how to talk to them, I don't know how to behave around them. I just don't get on with them."

"But you've always loved kids," the Doctor protested. "You were the one who kept insisting they come in the TARDIS."

"Yeah, I know. I don't know what to tell you," she replied with a shrug. "It's your turn now. I'll wait here."

She knew it didn't sit well with every one of her previous regenerations, but for some reason whenever she was even around children she would feel awkward and out of place. They were young, and full of questions and hope and they very rarely knew much about anything. How was she supposed to help if they suddenly started crying and all she could think to do was mimic it until they stopped? It wasn't much help, as she had found out on more than one occasion over the years.

She watched the Doctor walk over to the two High Commanders, leaving her to swing gently on her own. She knew they weren't really children, but that part of her that went into a panic around children was already trying to rear its ugly head. It was better that he dealt with them, and she would deal with the big, sucker-covered red aliens that they were most likely going to see soon.

She continued to swing as she pulled out her phone, redialling the last number she had called. It rang out and she looked around, as if she was expecting the person on the other side to miraculously appear behind her.

"Clara, you're probably on that bloody bike of yours, but you really need to answer the phone," she said to the voicemail listening on the other end. "We're heading into the Nightmare Scenario. Just go home and stay home. Don't answer the door to anyone, not even me. We'll come in the TARDIS to let you know when it's safe. Just stay at home."

She hung up and held the phone tightly. It really wasn't like Clara not to answer when she rang, but she also knew that without the TARDIS rerouting the call, there was a chance Clara was doing something normal and human and she just couldn't answer the phone at that point.

Danni really didn't like it. She also considered calling everyone else she knew, but she couldn't tell anyone outside of the know about the Zygon Peace Treaty. It had to be kept a secret. That's why the Nightmare Scenario was so terrifying.

Even though she was expecting Clara to call at any moment, she always was expecting UNIT to as well. Kate's name was the one that came up when her phone rang and she answered it without so much of a missed beat. "Hello Kate," she greeted. "Going that well?"

" _They've kidnapped Osgood,_ " Kate replied without any preamble, " _and they've stolen the location of every Zygon on Earth._ "

"Osgood?" She placed her feet on the ground, skidding to a stop. "They got Osgood?" She looked up, motioning to the Doctor to come over. He caught her gaze and left the two little girls alone.

" _The ceasefire's broken down,_ " Kate confirmed.

"We'll be right there," Danni promised as a van pulled up next to the playground. It caught her eye, because it was so unassuming, just a maintenance van, but she hung up and hopped of the swing and tried not to pay it much mind. "The Zygons have Osgood," she explained to her husband. "And where everyone is. We need to get to UNIT."

Of course, that was when a large red, Zygon-like bomb was thrown into the playground. The children started screaming as red smoke began billowing out of it. The two Time Lords shared a horrified look before they ran towards the crowd.

"Hey! Away! Out of the way!" the Doctor cried, waving his hands to instruct everyone to run away. Danni did much of the same, both of them running into the smoke, looking for the source of it.

Danni jumped in surprise as a rather large, angry-looking Zygon emerged from the thick smoke, snarling. She reached into her pocket but both of the little girls the Doctor had been talking to screamed as they were grabbed from behind.

She held her gun up but the smoke only thickened, blocking her vision and her chance of a clean shot at any of them. The Doctor reached through, grabbing her arm and she spun, aiming at the surprise attacker. When she realised it was her husband the pair ran out of the park, after the maintenance van which screeched away.

Danni came to a stop first, cursing vividly. The Doctor stopped just in front of her and watching the van speed off. He turned back on his heels, panting lightly and saw the pure frustration on Danni's face.

"I couldn't get a clear shot," she ranted. "That bloody smoke was too thick! I didn't even see them until they appeared in front of my face!"

"It's fine," he reassured her quickly but she shook her head.

"It's not fine. It's fucking annoying, that's what it is," she continued. "I used to be better than that! I used…" she growled, cutting herself off from what would be both an epic rant and probably a dump of information that the Doctor would have welcomed, but was more appropriate to when the world wasn't at the brink of collapse. "We need to get to UNIT," she declared. "If they've got Osgood then they're farther along than we thought."

 _~0~0~0~_

There had been a time when Clara didn't wake up to an international emergency. She was sure she, at one point in her life, didn't have to deal with the fallout of an impending war between the humans and aliens. She knew that she used to just be a nanny who looked after children because they needed someone after their mother had died.

She knew it was true, but she couldn't remember it.

The Zygon Ceasefire began to break down incredibly quickly after those first whispers of an uprising. Her training ended rather abruptly and she was called up to being a relation scientific operative – or something like that, she was never great with job titles – with very little warning.

She loved it. She worked great under pressure.

With Osgood being off the radar somewhere in the United States, it had fallen to Clara to try and negotiate with the Zygons they were in contact with. Clara's job was intelligence gathering and decoding. She'd been to the bank to see Fred and Holly, who hadn't heard much but promised they'd pass on information when they got it because they were happy on Earth and didn't want to lose their kids. They were a sweet couple.

She'd been there when UNIT had brought Yvonne in for further questioning, but the intelligence they'd gathered from her only pointed to the same New Mexican town that they'd heard whispers about.

Clara stepped out of the car, looking up at the office building with a rather bored look on her face. "I do get sent to the best places," she said.

"That's what you get for being the newbie," her driver replied. Well, he wasn't _her_ driver, but he had been driving her around London and, _come on_ , his name was Alfred Jenkins. He may as well have been called Butler McButler.

"So, basically, I'm just going to have to wait until they hire someone else to get into the good stuff?" she asked him as a few more cars showed up, this time containing her backup.

He nodded. "That's exactly it," he replied. She sighed.

"What's the brief?" she asked.

"We're here to see Jay and Dianna," he explained as they headed into the building. "Should be on the second floor unless they've been promoted. They were data analysers last time we checked on them."

"Wow, even more excitement," she drawled. "Just what I signed up for."

She didn't really mean it. Of course, interviewing people wasn't the most exciting part of her job but she was also checking in with Zygons to gather information about an uprising that could destroy the planet. Travelling with the Doctor and Danni, though, usually meant that she was in the heart of the action as it was happening. Going to long – and human – way around took a little getting used to.

The elevator opened on the second floor and she stepped out to see a bunch of faces looking at her, bewildered. It was instantly obvious that these particular workers didn't get a lot of visitors.

"Hi, sorry to barge in. HR," she introduced herself. "We're just looking for Jay and Dianna?"

Two women stood up at the back of the room. One of them looked positively terrified, but the other just looked angry. It immediately put both her and Alfred on edge and she leant in closer to him. "Get the backup," she whispered.

"We're not going anywhere with you," the angry one spat out. "UNIT are the cause of all this."

"Dianna, please," the other one pleaded. "There's no need…"

Dianna turned to the other woman, glowering down at her. "My name is _not_ Dianna," she snarled before turning back to Clara. "Truth or Consequences!" she shouted. She reached into her desk, pulling out a red, sucker-covered thing that she chucked on the floor. The humans in the room started to scream as the room started to fill with red smoke.

Alfred quickly bundled Clara back into the elevator as a door on the other side of the room was thrown open. "Sorry," he quickly apologised for being rough, even though that was his job. He hammered at the close button for the doors then pulled out his radio.

"We've got a runaway," he told the backup at the bottom of the building. "Dianna is a rebel. I repeat, Dianna is a rebel and we are to assume that Jay is as well. They left via the stairwell, all troops are to find and neutralise them but _do not harm._ "

Clara shook her head. "No, Jay wasn't," she corrected. "You heard her. She was pleading with Dianna. She's a captive."

Alfred looked at Clara, as if trying to work out if she was lying or not. Decided she wasn't he turned back to his radio. "Dianna is a rebel. One captive, do not harm either."

Clara smiled, her heart suddenly pounding at the excitement. This was what she had signed up for. Something to make her feel alive again. She nudged Alfred with her shoulder. "Knew you liked me," she boasted happily. "You listened to me."

"I listen to everyone when I'm on the job, Miss Oswald."

"Yeah, but you agreed with me and changed your mind. Means that you like me," she teased as the doors opened on the ground floor. They were greeted by two men in uniform.

"Miss Oswald," one greeted with a salute. "You've been reassigned. We are to escort you immediately."

She frowned. "Reassigned?" she asked. "Why?"

"If you can just follow us, Miss Oswald," was the reply she got. She did just that, climbing into the back of Alfred's car. Alfred, strangely, joined her after a moment of confirming with the soldiers and then the pair climbed in the front.

As they drove away from the scene, one of the soldiers looked back at Clara. "We're to take you to a safe house," he explained to her. "The situation has been raised to critical."

"Wait, the ceasefire broke down?" she asked, a little worried and a lot confused. "How? We were barely looking into it."

"There was an ambush in New Mexico," the soldier explained to her. "Officer Stewart has deemed it important for you to be relocated to the safehouse with her until told otherwise."

"Does she want me to contact Danni?"

"There was no instruction to," he replied. "You'll be briefed when we arrive."

 _~0~0~0~_

It was hard to know who was a Zygon and who wasn't. It all came down to UNIT identification and a trust that the security would be able to tell the difference. Zygons imitated their copies so well that they still didn't, currently, have a way to tell them apart. If they did it would have made this whole endeavour a lot easier.

Clara entered the front door of the house she was taken to. It was on a street she'd never heard of, and a house that she wouldn't have paid another thought to if she'd ever walked past it. It was what made it a fantastic safe house. She was greeted by the security, deemed safe then taken into what used to be the dining room but what was now a makeshift lab.

"What's going on?" she asked Kate, who was surrounded by a lot of people looking incredibly busy.

"Osgood has been taken," Kate explained. "And her files have been compromised. The ceasefire has broken down completely."

Clara blinked, surprised, and Kate left her there as she headed over to one of the many monitors hanging on the metal frame that circled the room.

Once Clara processed the impending doom that was suddenly a rather real possibility she followed Kate over. On it were many different sound displayers, all picking up different communication attempts on any frequency.

"Is-Is she alright? Is she still alive?" she asked, concerned. "Are we going to go to New Mexico to find her?"

"No," Kate replied shortly. "The ceasefire was put in place by the Doctor. Even if you don't travel with them anymore, you would be a number one target to anyone looking to get his attention. You're staying here where you can be most protected."

"I don't need protecting, I can be useful!" Clara protested. She wasn't one to hide back when trouble came her way. It was one of her very few floors. "I was there when the ceasefire was put into place. I helped then and I can help now!"

"You were one of the few people who the Doctor allowed to see the Osgood box as it was being made," Kate countered. "You know too much to be allowed out of the country."

Clara sighed. "Should I at least call Danni?" she asked. "We could really use their help round about now."

Kate looked over her head as the door to the dining room opened. "No need, I already have done," she replied. "Here they are now."

Clara's eyes widened in horror. She turned around and saw Danni and the Doctor being brought in by two UNIT operatives. The Doctor looked as grumpy as always. Danni looked…

Did she have to wear skirts? Could she not dress much frumpier and not look so freakin' amazing?

She hadn't expected it. She had thought she had more time. But she saw the flash of pure confusion on Danni's face as she saw Clara, and the scowl that appeared on the Doctor's and knew that her time to explain was well and truly up.

"Clara?" Danni asked. "What are you doing here?"

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Osgood was sat in front of a desk, in a drab office with the camera pointing at her. There wasn't anything in the room to suggest where she was. She didn't look terrified, but she also wasn't particularly comfortable either. Above her head was the three-fingered Zygon symbol for the rebel movement._

 _Her hands were handcuffed in front of her, and a piece of paper laid on the table. She didn't look up at the camera as she read off it._

" _UNIT troops will be destroyed wherever they are in the world. The enemies of our race will be destroyed wherever they are in the world." The camera panned out and showed her flanked by two Zygons. "The war is about to begin. There will be truth or there will be consequences."_

 _Just before the video finished, she looked up at the camera. Then it flickered to static before displayed the rebel logo once again._

"Well," Danni said. "She's keeping calm. That's good." She looked to Kate. "She would have had her inhaler, wouldn't she?"

Kate nodded. "You know she never goes anywhere without it."

"That's good." Danni pressed her lips together. She wasn't sure how to process what she was feeling. She still wasn't quite used to caring about anyone but herself and the Doctor in this body, or at least admitting that she did care. She usually just buried it until snarky comments and feeling exasperated with the universe at large. It was a good system. She'd worked hard to get it. Seeing Osgood captured and, even if she didn't seem outwardly terrified, incredibly frightened wanted to make her show how worried she was and she didn't appreciate it. Not one bit.

"She's alive, that's all that matters," the Doctor replied. "Has the uprising been going on long?"

"I'll show you what we already know," Kate said. The Doctor followed her off. Danni stood where she was, looking at the screen Osgood had been on. Clara hovered by her side. Not only was it part of her job to never leave a Time Lord unaccompanied, she didn't want to leave Danni alone. Not when she had that frown on her face. It might have looked like she was deep in thought about the situation at hand, but Clara could tell it wasn't that; that was her processing face.

"I called you quite a few times," Danni stated suddenly. "If UNIT had taken you in all you had to do was let me know."

As much as Clara wanted to be happy that Danni had been concerned for her, she couldn't help just feel guilty. "They, um, they didn't take me," she explained. "I work for them now."

Danni blinked, surprised. "You work for UNIT?" she asked. "And the school were alright with that?"

"I quit," she replied.

"You quit?" Danni repeated, a little slower. "But you loved teaching."

"I did," Clara agreed. "I mean, I still do. I guess. I just… With everything that happened with you, and with-with Danny I just… I wanted something more, something bigger."

Danni was slightly taken aback by how affected she felt by this sudden drop of news. It wasn't that she was angry that Clara worked for UNIT; both she and the Doctor worked for them, and unlike the Doctor she was glad there was some sort of protection on the Earth. And if Clara wasn't happy at the school then of course she agreed that she didn't have to work there anymore. She wanted Clara happy, not in a specific job.

But it still hurt. Her chest hurt as she looked at her best friend. She hadn't even called to tell her the news. She'd found out by accident. It explained why she'd looked so surprised when the Doctor and herself had walked into the building.

She pressed her lips back together for a moment and Clara felt like she was being analysed.

"How long was I away?" Danni asked her suddenly, sounding very curious.

"I-I don't know," Clara replied. "You've never—"

"No, not for me. For you. How long was I away for you?"

"Oh!" Clara thought back for a moment, as if she didn't have a clear number in her head. "About six months, give or take. Why?"

Danni smiled, almost a little sadly. "I just realised just how much I missed with you," she explained softly. She reached out, resting one arm on both of Clara's arms. "I'm happy for you," she said sincerely, a smile on her face. "Congratulations, sweetie."

Clara felt an overwhelming sense of relief, that was quickly taken over by being slightly flustered as Danni pulled her in for a hug that she hadn't been expecting. She had been so worried that Danni would have been angry that she was working with UNIT, or had in some way taken her job. She should have known better. Danni was always just incredibly happy for her.

An arm reached in between them and, much like a crowbar, forced the pair apart. "Please don't touch my wife," the Doctor said shortly. "Especially if you're upsetting her."

Danni rolled her eyes. "She didn't upset me. And I hugged her," she countered.

"I could see your face from across the room," the Doctor replied, as if it explained everything.

Danni didn't correct him. She didn't think they had time for his jealousy. She had always hugged the people she cared about. Just because that want had waned during this regeneration didn't mean she didn't like to pull that back out for the important moments. He also knew that he was the person in the universe she wanted to hug more than anything. He was just being childish.

"What did you find out?" she asked him.

"A lot of things. Nothing useful, nothing useless," he replied vaguely. "We're heading out." He grabbed her hand and started walking towards the door. "We're going in separate cars!" he instructed Kate as he headed past. "Put Oswald in the other car."

"Her name is Clara, and she's still my friend," Danni defended. "Stop being a dick."

"I'm not being a dick. I'm being kind."

"How is relegating her to a different car 'kind'?" she countered.

"Because she fancies you," the Doctor explained. "And we don't do well in the back of transport with other people, do we, my Pet?"

Danni's mind immediately flew back to the back of a longboat and she felt herself warm up nicely. "Maybe separate cars are for the best."

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara knew the school they landed at very well. She had interviewed for it just before she'd landed her job at Coal Hill and she had been there a couple of times to check on Jemima and Claudette. It was a nice school. It was also where the Zygon High Command had their secret base. It was a good disguise, because you really couldn't tell from the outside that it housed alien beings pretending to be children.

What wasn't nice was getting out of her UNIT vehicle, with Kate in tow, to find the other car parked and yet no one out of it but Jac, who looked rather uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if she should knock on the window or not.

"I-I was told to give them five more minutes," the woman said, flustered. That meant that Clara was right all along. She pulled out her hair bobble, tying her hair out of her face.

She took a deep breath, then hammered on the blacked-out window. "We're here!" she called pointedly before stepping out of the way. Nothing happened right away, then the door opened and Danni slipped gracefully out.

"Sorry, I hadn't realised we'd arrived," Danni replied.

Clara raised an eyebrow. "Is that true?" she asked.

Danni shook her head as the Doctor stepped out, straightening his jacket. "Nah, I just like to pretend that I'm professional," she said. "After you."

Kate took the lead, naturally, taking the small group into building. Jac and Clara was close behind. Danni watched her friend go with a frown, one the Doctor only noticed a moment after he'd started to follow himself.

"Everything alright?" he asked. She met his eyes, a frown still on her face. Clara seemed off. She normally waited for her before following anyone else in. They always walked in side by side.

Then again, Clara hadn't travelled with them for what had to be a while now. And she'd missed a good chunk of time being held by Missy. And now she worked for UNIT. Maybe this was just Clara, now. Maybe she didn't think to look for her best friend by her side because she didn't live that life anymore. Maybe Danni wasn't her best friend anymore.

Even Danni felt her metaphorical eyes rolling at _that_ thought. Clara loved her, of course they were best friends.

Instead of voicing her concerns, she smiled at the Doctor. "Your hood's all out of line," she told him, a little cheeky hint to her voice so he knew what she was suggesting. "Turn around, I'll sort it."

He did as she asked, only turning his head to place a kiss on the very tips of her fingertips. "I noticed it too," the Doctor promised. "I'm sure she's just acting up because you're here and she wants to show off."

Danni moved to his side. "She's not showing off," she scolded. "Plus, I thought you didn't like her anymore. Why would you notice anything?"

The smugness in her voice said that she thought very much to the contrary, but the Doctor's face fell from a smile. "I don't," he replied bluntly. "I know her well so I can keep an eye on any warnings."

"Terms of the settlement, Operation Double, were these," Kate explained as they headed down to the boiler room. "Twenty million Zygons, the entire hatchery, were allowed to be born and to stay on Earth. They were permitted to permanently take up the form of the nearest available human beings."

"In this case, a large percentage of the population of the UK," Jac spoke up.

The room was dark, with the sound of steam filling the air. It looked exactly how every other boiler room Danni'd had the misfortune of entering. For all her tinkering and building, for some reason boiler rooms just gave her the creeps.

"You left us with an impossible situation, Doctor," Kate finished.

"Yes, I know. It's called peace," he replied sarcastically. He shared a look with Danni, who seemed just as exasperated by the accusation as he felt. Humans never could see the good in not having an all-out war. "What about the two little girl commanders? Weren't they helping you?"

"When Osgood left the UK, they basically went on lockdown," Clara explained. "We've known that something had been going on for a little while now. Little murmurings about a rebellion. All they would tell us was that they would handle it."

The Doctor nodded, listening to her because it was vital information and not because he thought she needed listening to. He needed all of the facts to try and avert another war. Again.

He didn't mind, not really. If they always came to the conclusion that peace was better than war then he was happy to jump back and help them to that conclusion again. He knew Danni felt the same, as well.

There was a hole in the brick wall that led to the command centre. There wasn't much too it, just some power towers and a main control panel stood lit up at the other end. It was all obviously Zygon, sporting a deep red colour and plenty of tendrils and suckers. There were very old monitors surrounding the panel to create a large computer for the Zygons to use.

Danni's only encounter with the Zygons had been the few times that she had helped the Doctor sort of the breakdowns of the ceasefire. He was the expert and, in the past, she had been happy to stand back and watch him work. It wasn't much different this time around, except she wanted to keep an eye on what he was doing and not just watch him be sexy and clever.

He moved to the control panel. "That's the control polyp for all Zygons on Earth," he explained to the humans.

"It's horrible," Jac declared. Danni glanced over her shoulder at them.

"I'm sure they think the same about us," she replied. "We're all different."

"Danielle," he called over. She walked to his side to watch him splash the liquid from the middle pool in the centre of the polyp around the top controls.

"What's the liquid again?" she asked him quietly.

"Lubrication mucus," he replied. "It's to help strengthen the psychic link and allow control of the polyp." He looked to her, seeing her nose wrinkled at the mention of the word 'mucus'. "I know, I've got hand sanitiser."

"You better bloody had," she muttered.

He moved his hands around the suckers and fronds of the device, trying to break into the computer. They all watched with various degrees of intrigue. Clara pulled an amused face. "Doctor, do you want to be alone with that thing?"

"It's a command computer," he explained. "You operate it by titivating the fronds."

Danni turned her torso to look back at Clara. "He once kissed a Zygon, apparently," she said. "From the looks of it, that Zygon really missed out." Clara snorted before trying to compose herself. She was on duty and it was a serious situation, despite the jokes.

The monitors around the control panel all sprang to life, booting up and the Doctor smirked. "Still got the old magic," he boasted. The system took a moment but it quickly fired into life. "Ah ha! Okay," he declared before he started scanning over the data it presented.

"So the Zygons hatched, dispersed and integrated," Danni started. "But then this splinter group pulled off and decided, what, that peace and harmony wasn't for them?"

"Something's gone wrong," he agreed as the screens flashed over images and maps. "Mexico border, North Asia, West Africa, Australia. Panic. Paranoia. What would happen if they knew who we were?"

From behind them something beeped. "We've received another video," Jac said. They all gathered around her tablet as she loaded it up.

The screen showed the two young girls from the park. "That's the Zygon High Command. It's Jemima and Claudette," Kate explained.

 _The two girls stood at opposite sides of the screen. They were in the control room, with the polyp behind them._

" _We have been betrayed. We were sold. Our rights were violated," a Zygon declared. "We demand the right to be ourselves. Normalise. Normalise!"_

 _The two young girls transformed back into Zygons. From off the screen two Zygon hands stretched into view. Electric bolts shot out of the hands, striking both Zygons in the chest. They didn't scream as they were disintegrated, turning into a pile of dust and what seemed to be hair._

 _The camera panned to another Zygon, focusing in on their snarling face. "We are now the Zygon High Command. All traitors will die. Truth or consequences."_

The video ended with the same end card as Osgood's video had. They all stood in silence, staring at the screen as the implication of the video hit them all.

"So, we have a Zygon revolution on our hands," the Doctor said lowly. He walked away from the tablet screen but then turned to address them all directly. Danni was already stood waiting, staring at him as if she had already guessed he was going to take charge. Kate looked outraged, Jac looked scared and Clara… well, Clara didn't even look surprised.

Not that he cared, of course.

"We need to open negotiations."

"I'm not negotiating with them," Kate declared with a scoff. "As far as they're concerned, everyone's a traitor."

"If you're not going to negotiate, what are you going to do?" Clara asked calmly.

"They're holed up in this settlement in Turmezistan. It's where they've taken Osgood. I'm going to order Colonel Walsh to bomb it."

"Bomb them?" Danni asked with a sigh. "You can't just bomb them, Kate!"

"The treaty's been comprehensively violated, Danielle," Kate reasoned.

"This is a splinter group," the Doctor replied. "The rest of the Zygons, the vast majority, they want to live in peace. You start bombing them, you'll radicalise the lot. That's exactly what the splinter group wants."

"' _Truth or consequences'_. What exactly does that mean?" Jac spoke up timidly.

"It's just the usual kind of nonsense these idiots call themselves," Kate snapped.

"It's in New Mexico," Clara stated. Everyone stared at her, surprised. "It's a town in New Mexico. Truth or Consequences. Er, they renamed it after a TV show, for a bet or something. It's a Trivial Pursuit question. I used to memorise Trivial Pursuit questions so I could win."

"Of course you did," the Doctor muttered harshly.

"That's the last place we received signal from Osgood's phone, isn't it? New Mexico," Kate realised.

"Okay." The Doctor nodded to himself before pointing at Kate. "Kate Stewart, no bombs for you. Go to Truth Or Consequences. See what you can find out. Danni and I will go to Turmezistan. Negotiate peace, rescue Osgood, and prevent this war, cos that's what we do." He turned to the remaining humans. Danni would want Clara to come with them. He didn't want that as all. "You two stay here. This is your country. Protect it from the scary monsters. And also from the Zygons."

Clara didn't look too put out by the order. Once again Danni couldn't help but feel rather concerned that Clara just didn't want to spend time with her anymore. "Is that alright?" she asked Clara, hoping for a reaction.

Clara shrugged. "Fine," she confirmed.

The Doctor started towards the hole in the wall but paused, turning to Kate. "Oh, and do you still have the presidential aircraft?"

Clara crossed her arms, smiling fondly. "I thought you didn't like being President of the World," she commented, much to Danni's surprise.

"No, but I like poncing about in a big plane," the Doctor replied.

Danni shook her head. "No, no, wait a minute," she said before looking up at her husband. "President of the World?" she repeated. "When did _that_ happen?"

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni wasn't sure what airport they were taken to, but it seemed rather quiet and already full of UNIT soldiers. Kate took them to one of the large planes, one that already had a set of steps up to the door and the engines running as it waited for them.

"President of the World," Danni muttered as she looked up at the plane. "I miss all of the good stuff."

The Doctor took her hand. "Not all of it," he replied. She had taken what had happened when she had been taken rather well, although he expected that to change once the situation calmed down. Until then, though, he could make it even better for her.

Instead of leading her up the stairs, he let her go up the first couple in front of him. He paused then turned to Kate. "Does this count as being on the plane?" he asked.

She placed her hands in her jacket pockets, slightly amused. "I don't see why not," she replied fondly.

He grinned, turning to his wife. She looked incredibly confused, and just as with all of her other faces she looked adorable. "I'm President of the World," he told her.

She smiled. "The giant plane says that, sweetie," she replied.

"As my newest act as President I'm turning it over to you," he declared. Her smile fell away to bewilderment.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You're now President of the World," he told her. "I'm the First Man. Well, I think I'm the first First Man, which seems not only long overdue but also I can enjoy all of the perks of being President without being in charge." He grinned. "I can be the arm candy for once."

Danni shook her head. "I don't want to be President," she told him bluntly.

"Neither do I," the Doctor replied. "But there's no one I'd rather have in charge of anything than you. You keep me from losing my way. If you can do that than a few billion humans should be no problem at all."

She stared at him for a moment. All of this had happened when she had been taken, so she hadn't been there when he'd been given the title nor for the fallout from that. She'd heard a little bit of it on the car ride to the airport. He said he hadn't wanted the job.

She kind of liked it. She didn't really have roots on this particular Earth. Her mum was from Earth but was born in space. Her father was from the Boeshane Peninsula but lived on Earth, but she'd been raised away from this universe, let alone this Earth. She never felt like it was her home. If she was President of it then it would definitely be her home, wouldn't it?

Plus, she then had the _world_ at her disposal for the inevitable moment Missy would rear her ugly head and she would be able to fight back.

She shrugged. "Yeah, alright then," she said. "I can totally be the President."

"Totally," the Doctor repeated with an ever-growing grin. "The best President. The most good-looking President."

"Not the smartest, though?" she countered cheekily before catching them before they fell into flirting and banter. "Let's get to Turmezistan."

"Yes, Madam President," Kate said.

Danni looked positively outraged. "Madam?" she repeated, turning to the Doctor who kept hold of her hand and headed up the stairs. "She called me Madam. Do-Do I look like a Madam?"

"I don't know," he replied. "What does a madam look like?"

"Not like me," Danni retorted, pouting slightly. She was old, but she didn't _look_ her age, did she?

"I look amazing," she grumbled. "I'm not a Madam."


	34. The President of the World

Danni wasn't sure that she liked being President. In fact, she was pretty sure that she didn't.

It wasn't like she was being asked to anything 'presidential' either. There was a conference room with terribly old-fashioned wood panelling on every wall. The furniture was dark wood, the ceiling was dark wood. Everything was dark wood and it made her feel trapped.

The conference table in the middle of the room, thankfully, wasn't getting any use. Apart from a couple of security officers that had been a requirement of the flight, and the two pilots, there wasn't anyone else on the plane but her and her husband. No one to conference with. All in all, it was a pretty standard, if not ridiculously extravagant, flight. But the room felt so crowded, so heavy that one more person would make it feel like it was crushing her from all sides.

She sat in one of the swivel armchairs by the windows, one leg crossed over the other as she tapped her fingers on armrest to the same beat of four that had haunted her for centuries. The Doctor wasn't sure if she even noticed that she did it, now. It was probably just ingrained in her no matter how many times she regenerated.

Of course, perhaps Missy had used it on her again. He didn't know and Danielle didn't offer up the information freely.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, sitting down in the chair next to hers.

"I don't like it," she replied shortly. "This room, it's just all… I don't know… Dark, and cold and… it feels really awful. I don't like it."

He smiled slightly. He could see how aggravated it was making her, but that she had no idea why. "Do you know what this room looks like?" he asked her. She shook her head. "It looks like power. It looks like influence."

"I don't like it," she repeated. "Why does everything have to be wood? And what's with the fake wood on the walls? Is it trying to be wood, or is it trying to be marble? Why can't it make up its mind?"

"You could always get it changed," he suggested. "I'm sure President of the World can change the wallpaper."

She nodded along with him, but her fingers didn't stop tapping and she didn't stop looking around like she was about to be jumped from all sides. "What's really wrong?" he asked, because he knew the décor wasn't really bothering her that much. "Osgood will be fine."

"I know she will," she quickly replied. She looked to her husband and saw nothing but concern but support on his face. She looked back out at the two men with guns and felt nothing but worry and a sense of dread. She looked back at her husband, who definitely was the preferred out of the two. "It's… It's the control," she whispered, hoping no one else would hear.

"Ah," he said. "Because I gave you the job, you don't feel like you have control," he reasoned. She shook her head.

"No, it's the opposite. I'm too much in control," she replied, to his surprise. "I like being in control of the situation. I-I like the fact I'm in control of me, because god only knows that wasn't the case for much too long. But I-I don't like being in control of all of these people." She pressed her lips together for a moment as she looked over at the two armed guards there. "No one should have to do anything just because I tell them to," she said softly. "And I probably will, because people annoy me when they don't do what I want. I'm just going to… I'm going to make people do stuff they don't want to and I don't want to be like her… _that_."

He sat forward in his chair, reaching out to grab the hand that was tapping on her chair arm. "Do you know the difference between Missy and you?" he asked. "Missy did it to you when you didn't want her to. These people who you have command over are here because they _want_ to be." He shot them a sideways glance. "Sure, we could get into the ridiculous life choices they've made and the fact that humans seem to be rather intent on getting themselves killed. But they do it willingly."

"If I have to lead people to their own death…" she started.

"Do you remember a young, ginger woman who would never stop defending the fact that I was an officer?" he interrupted. "Or the blonde regeneration who marched Mr Pink out of our home for saying the same thing?"

She didn't look him in the eye, suggesting she remembered them clearly. "Yes…"

"You would never do anything unless it was the last resort," the Doctor finished. "You'd never send people into their own deaths on a whim. You are the President of the World now. If you want to see that change, then change it."

She met his gaze again, smiling slightly. "You're quite good at that, aren't you?" she said.

"At what?"

"Those speeches that make everyone feel better," she clarified. "They always seem to work."

He grinned. "Are you saying it worked?" he asked. She nodded. "I guess I am, then."

She looked back into the room. "I want to get this redecorated," she decided. "I'll have to get Kate onto it."

"You can do that, Madam President," he said teasingly. She shot him a glare.

"Oi," she warned. "Mrs President, thank you." She shifted. "I'm married, not old."

"Of course not, my Pet," he replied, humouring her. They fell into silence for a moment. "What's the plan, Mrs President?"

"Save Osgood," she replied simply. "Then the world." She looked to him. "That's the usual plan, isn't it?" He nodded his agreement. "And then we do it all over again."

 _~0~0~0~_

People saluted them as they got off the plane. People saluted them as they were bundled into the back of an armoured vehicle and taken to the command base. Luckily, though, people seemed to have gotten the memo by the time they were walking through the base and had stopped saluting them.

They were taken into one of the many buildings where there were a lot of soldiers who seemed very busy, being over watched by a woman in beret, who was evidently Colonel Walsh.

"At ease," the Doctor declared, arms wide and sunglasses on. In contrast, Danni walked in just behind him, not trying to pull the attention onto her. He did always like to make an entrance. "She's President of the World, I'm the First Gentleman. We're here to rescue people and generally establish happiness all over the place. I'm the Doctor, she's Danielle."

Walsh barely gave them a glance. "Yes, we know who you are," she replied. Danni frowned slightly. That was the tone of someone who _really_ didn't think that you had any business interfering with their job. It was the sign that they weren't going to pay a bit of attention to her or her husband. That was going to problematic if and when they had to handle the Zygons.

That was going to have to be noted at the end of this whole adventure.

"Going to strike altitude," one of the soldiers said. The Doctor and Danni shared and they walked over to her side.

"What's going on here? Fun and games?" the Doctor asked lowly. The pair looked over her shoulder at the visuals being shown on the many monitors from the drone she was flying. A pilot spoke over the rather tinny speakers and it was obvious what was happening.

"That's not happening," Danni said firmly. "Osgood is still in there. Abort the strike."

"They're dangerous," Walsh replied. "And your friend is almost certainly dead. I'm not going to allow them to disperse. You can't track a shape-shifter."

Danni's head snapped around and her eyes flared dangerously. Her dismissed of Osgood wasn't something she was going to tolerate quietly. "I'm sorry, I thought you knew who I was," she stated.

"We do…"

"Then you know that I'm the fucking President," she said loudly, angrily. "And it's a bit fucking rude to ignore me, don't you think? Your orders come from _me_."

"I'm sorry, but you are only the President during a full-scale invasion. My orders, as you put it, come from my superiors and not you. Your friend is dead and the strike will go ahead."

The Doctor winced, knowing the anger that was going to explode in his wife. He felt it as well, a wave of anger that came from her and filled the whole room.

"Are you telling me that a planet full of shape shifting aliens that you can't find or stop isn't an invasion?" she countered quietly. "I'm the President, whether you like my orders or not. My friend is in there, my friend is alive and you will _stop the strike!"_

The two women locked gazes, both furious and the Doctor turned away to look at the screen that was currently showing the feed from the drone. Danielle rarely got that angry, but when she did people listened. Even he did, and he had always been known for not listening to anyone. He had no doubt who was going to win the staring contest. He also knew that, even if she did, she wasn't going to calm down straight away.

He needed some good news for her, so he turned his attention back onto the strike that was about to happen. It was surprising to see that, even though she was going to win, she might not have needed to. The drone's camera was focused on a doorway in the Turmezistanian town where two people, a man and a young boy, were stood. The same man and child who were on the photo stuck to the drone flying console. And, based on the look on the soldier's face, he was probably right in guessing that they were her family.

She quickly chucked her headset off, backing away from the console as if it was burning her. "Strike aborted. Strike aborted."

Danni looked over, surprised at the sudden turn in her favour. She, too, quickly spotted both the man and child on the screen and in the photograph.

"Well," she drawled. "That is very interesting."

"Very interesting indeed," the Doctor agreed.

 _~0~0~0~_

The next step was to head to the town. The soldiers were ordered to pack up their vehicles and the Doctor and Danni were right behind them. Someone had tried to get them both to where the armoured vest and helmets that came with working for UNIT and as a soldier.

"Have you seen what I'm wearing?" Danni had countered. "I'm not hiding _this_ with something so horrid and bulky. It's not like Zygons come with rifles, anyway."

She had then turned to Walsh. "What do we know, exactly?" she asked. "They've taken hold of the town but what are they doing? Is there any sign of activity from the inside at all? Are they building anything? Any transmissions?"

"We think it's a Zygon training camp," Walsh explained. "We never see more than one or two of them outside at any one time. But they always take different shapes, we don't know how many there really are. We don't know how they come and go. Whether they go through tunnels, or whether they turn into dogs and run out across the hills."

The Doctor couldn't help but notice all of the weapons being loaded up. They both needed UNITs resources to investigate what was happening with the Zygons, how far along of the 'resistance' had gotten in their plans. And, more importantly, to find and save Osgood. However, seeing all the guns never made him confident in anyone's plans.

"So, that's what we'll find out," he said shortly.

"We should have that gas," Walsh stated, causing Danni's back to straighten and her frustration the flare again. Everyone seemed so well-informed on what was in the Osgood box. Every time she heard someone wanting to use it she lost a little more faith in humanity in general. "We should be able to rip them inside out."

"Colonel, take it easy. They're trying to unsettle you," the Doctor pointed out. "They're trying to make you paranoid and panicked."

"Any living thing in this world, including my family and friends, could turn into a Zygon and kill me, any second now. It's not paranoia when it's real."

"She has a point," Danni admitted. Even Walsh seemed surprised at that. "It still doesn't justify the genocide of an entire species. It's a wonder there any animals left on the bloody planet considering how trigger-happy you all are."

"It's not genocide, it's a defence."

"It's the last resort," Danni corrected forcefully. "It's not just some weapon you can pull out because you're scared. It's not a hand-holding replacement! It's a _last resort_ and, trust me, we're not even close to that yet."

"With all due respect, it's all well and good thinking that everyone is calm and reasonable, but this isn't just something we can talk our way out of. This is a full-on war. Weapons are the only way to win them."

Danni looked to her husband, eyes wide in the disbelief that she was still not being listened to. The Doctor held his hands up, letting her know that he had no idea why the conversation was going on this long either. They didn't have time to argue when Osgood still needed rescuing, but for all their talk of weapons, humans did seem to like a good argument.

Danni turned back to Walsh. "Are you lecturing me on war?" she asked lowly. "Do you not remember the Cybermen that came from the ground? The time the Earth was almost destroyed and my husband," she nodded towards the Doctor, "was the person to stop it? Do you remember the horrific person who did that to you? The Time Lord that, previously, had been your Prime Minister? Do you remember that?"

Walsh straightened slightly. "Everyone remembers that," she replied shortly.

"Yes, they do," Danni agreed before pointing to herself. "I'm the woman who escaped from her. I'm the one who fought that battle and _won_. I'm the woman who spent five _hundred_ years at war and managed to help stop the entire universe being destroyed on more than one occasion. You may think that I'm just some silly little girl, Colonel, but let me tell you something." She leant in a little closer. "I know more about this than you will _ever_ know. The gas is a last resort, and this isn't the time for a last resort."

Walsh nodded once. "Yes, Mrs President."

"Madam President," Danni corrected, much to the Doctor's amusement. "We're going to the village. Finish the preparations." Walsh nodded. "And I'll have that salute I've not been getting, now."

Walsh walked off, thoroughly chastised, to command her soldiers to finish the preparations for leaving. The Doctor and Danni watched her go.

"I thought you didn't look like a Madam?" the Doctor commented.

"I don't," Danni replied before looking up at him. "Doesn't mean that I'm not one. Everyone always listens to you, but I think they still see me as a sidekick."

"You are _definitely_ not a sidekick," the Doctor promised. "You're absolutely bloody terrifying and if they can't see that then more fool them." He held his hand out for hers. "Shall we go save Osgood?"

Danni nodded. "You can be quite scary as well," she told him. "Your Oncoming Storm thing still gives me shivers."

"My 'Oncoming Storm' thing?" he repeated indignantly. "Is that what I've been reduced to?"

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni should have been grateful that her shouting had gotten them thirty minutes in the village before they were going to bomb it. She knew that everyone was just scared. The Zygons were scared, the humans were scared. Hell, even she was kind of scared. That was why she held the Doctor's hand tightly as they stood on the outskirts of the village.

The Doctor couldn't have been happier with that development. It meant that, instead of her gun, he was now her first call when she needed comfort. She had come a long way from being terrified of everyone. She didn't seem to look around for Missy quite as much and, although she still was on high alert most of the time, she seemed to be tackling moments as they came rather than looking out for ways that she was in danger.

"We all know what a rabbit warren this place is, but we've got intel they're holed up inside the church," Walsh told her soldiers. They all listened intently, even Danni who didn't seem to like her too much. "Hitchley, you take the front, storm it, draw their fire. The Doctor, the President and I will take the back."

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo of Osgood, holding it up for everyone to see. "This is our object," he explained. "This is our object. We need to get her back, safely. Try to kill as few of them as possible. We need have to have someone to negotiate with."

Walsh really wasn't fond of the idea of being less than forceful. "You know what they're capable of. Do not fall victim to it. Truck open. Code Green."

"Let's move out!" Hitchley commanded from the front of the little group and, with a wave of his hand, they all headed into the village.

"Where did you get a picture of Osgood from?" Danni asked the Doctor quietly. She hadn't expected it and had been quite surprised when he'd pulled it out of his jacket pocket. He wasn't normally one for photographs. That had been her.

"It's one of yours," he explained just as quietly. "I grabbed it when we stopped off at the TARDIS before heading to the plane."

Danni shook her head. "But I don't have any photos of either Osgood," she replied. "I don't remember taking any."

He glanced down at the top of her head. She genuinely seemed bewildered. "I think you went out on one of those lunch dates that you like so much," he offered. "I'm sure it's not important."

"Yeah," she replied slowly, unconvinced. "Not important."

The Doctor continued to watch her from the corner of his eye as she nibbled on her lip. She looked thoughtful, and although anyone around would probably think that she was just thinking about the mission ahead he knew that there was a touch of concern in her look. The way she chewed her lips suggested that she was worried about Osgood, and about herself.

"Do you remember that time that you tried to convince me to take you skiing?" he asked her out of the blue. "Because of that stupid face in a jar."

"He's my dad," Danni warned. "And I did convince you, didn't I? We went skiing."

"What I recall is you going to the top of a hill and falling down to the bottom," he replied.

The village seemed rather deserted. There wasn't much to it, just a main street with some houses and the church at the other end. It was quite quaint, in its own way. But the fact that there was no one around was rather unnerving.

"I didn't fall to the bottom," she retorted. "I did manage to ski down a good portion of it. It was fun. We should go back."

"You don't mean that," the Doctor replied shortly. "You broke your ankle."

"I _sprained_ my ankle. You were the one who insisted I get… what did you call it?" She glanced up at him. " _Bed rest_. That's what you called it."

"There wasn't much resting."

She glanced up at him with a cheeky smile. "All the more reason to go again," she pointed out. "Also I know you're trying to prove that I've not forgotten a lot by pointing out something that happened centuries ago to make me feel better."

"Is it working?" he asked. She paused for a moment then nodded.

"Yes, it is," she admitted. "Do you think Osgood is alright?"

"If they'd killed her we would know by now," the Doctor replied. "You know that as much as I do. They kept the peace and they won't kill one of their own."

"Yeah, I know. I just hope they believe she's one of their own," Danni murmured as the soldiers began to surround the church. Walsh led them around the back of the church and the pair fell silent. Danni found it rather hard to not comment on the fact that they were heading through the graveyard to get to their target. It wasn't the best omen, and as someone who had spent a _long_ time looking for signs of something sinister happening, it just didn't sit well.

They kept silent as they looked from their hiding place at the back of the church to the front to watch what was happening. When the church doors opened and an old woman stepped out rather than a Zygon, none of them were surprised and none of them were happy.

They could barely hear what was going on, but Hitchley's voice came through Walsh's communicator clear. " _You're not my mother. Don't use my name._ "

"Oh no," Danni whispered lowly. "It's going to work."

"You don't know that," Walsh replied.

"It's not your mum, though, is it?" Danni countered. "We need to get them away from there. It's like you said; anyone you've ever loved could suddenly turn into a Zygon." She dipped her head further around the corner, looking at the group of soldiers. They were all aiming but none of them were shooting. "Why are you so scared? Is it because Zygons can imitate anyone, with their mannerisms and their memories, so you will never know?"

"Hitchley's smarter than that," Walsh defended.

"We're all smarter than that," Danni countered. "You think that you would be able to tell. There'd be something not quite right. Something they say, something they do. You think that, because you know them so well, you'd _just_ know. You know that's not true, otherwise you wouldn't be scared."

Walsh looked at her for a moment, then back around the corner, activating her radio. "Do not fall victim. Ask for details. She's a copy. Ask something only your mum could know." She turned back to Danni. " _This_ is why we should have the gas."

"The gas isn't the answer here," she replied. "You may think that they're the bad guys, but to them that's exactly what you are. They're defending themselves against you. We need to reinitialise the ceasefire and turning them inside out isn't exactly going to achieve that, is it?"

The Doctor, whilst serious and concerned about the situation, couldn't help but appreciate how Danni was taking over the situation. They'd always worked in a similar fashion. She'd deal with the people, he'd deal with the thinking and the planning. Distracting everyone else by talking to them always helped him focus more. What were the Zygons planning inside the church? How did they manage to get all of the host body prints? How long, exactly, had this attempt and ending the ceasefire been going on for?

"Do it!" Walsh suddenly shouted. "Don't go in there. You're going to your death! Hitchley, kill it."

" _Over and out, ma'am,_ " he replied, cutting off his radio as they all headed into the church.

"Damn it. Damn it!" she shouted, turning to run to the back entrance of the church.

Danni and the Doctor quickly followed. "This is pointless! Just let me go in and talk!"

Walsh raised her gun, ready to shoot the lock but Danni quickly shook her head. "No, no, wait!" she shouted before rummaging in her pocket. She pulled out her screwdriver and unlocked the door. "We don't want to alert them that we're here," she said.

Walsh didn't offer a thank you, instead she stormed into the church. Inside was a strategy table with a map of the world laid out on it. There were other maps, and propaganda messages pinned to the walls, all suggesting that the church had been used for quite a while as a base.

Unfortunately, on the floor was a group of hairy bundles sparking with electricity. The remains of the soldiers had just been left where they fell and it was rather horrible to see.

"They've executed my men," she bit out angrily.

"Where are the Zygons?" the Doctor replied, sounding a little cold but he did have a good point. They weren't being attacked or ambushed. The Zygons had gone.

"We need to bomb the hell out of this place. It's infested with these things," Walsh snarled. "We can't tell who the enemy is any more, we can't count them and we can't track them!"

The Doctor paused as he looked at the strategy table, looking up to meet her gaze. "I'm not going to let you do that," he warned.

"I just lost my men, I'll quite happily bomb the hell out of anywhere." She turned, heading towards the door. "We need to move. Strike's on its way."

"We're not going anywhere," Danni said firmly. "We're finding Osgood."

Walsh didn't care. She didn't care if Danni was the president or not. Her men had been killed and she was angry. "You've got ten minutes," she warned before leaving.

Danni and the Doctor shared a look. They had to find Osgood and quickly. The Doctor turned back to the table. "Did Missy pretend to be people often?" he asked.

Danni paused as she looked at the drawings on the wall. "You're asking me that _now?_ " she replied. "We've got to find Osgood."

"I know, I know, it helps me think," he replied. "Helps me focus."

Danni stared silently at the wall for a moment, weighing up the pros and cons of the conversation he wanted to have. "Just you," she lied. "Well… I mean… not just _you_ , sometimes it was Eleven, or Ten. I mean just you as in the 'just the Doctor'."

"And you could never tell?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Not always," she corrected. "She played you very well, and when she didn't… I don't know, I guess I just always hoped it was you, rather than admitting it wasn't."

" _Help, help!"_

They both paused. "Osgood?" Danni called out.

" _Help!"_

Her voice was muffled, and obviously coming from below. "She's under the floor," Danni declared before they both began frantically searching. Danni went one way and the Doctor went another. Both of them banged on the floor as Osgood called for help until, in a side room, the Doctor found the trap door.

"Danielle, in here!" he called out, opening it up and climbing down the ladders to the basement. It wasn't a very big room, and it was barely lit, but apart from being manacled to a chair, she seemed alright.

"Osgood!" he cried as he turned his ever-present flashlight on. He headed over to her as the sound of a jet flying overhead reached even them. "Got to get you out. They're going to bomb this place." He pulled out his sonic sunglasses. "What do the Zygons want?"

" _Doctor!"_

Osgood stared at the new woman who appeared from the darkness. She didn't immediately recognise the face, but she knew almost instantly who it was. Even though Clara had told them that Danni was safe, she still felt a wave of relief at seeing her. "Danni!"

Danni took a moment to look her friend over. She was wearing a jumper and a blouse with question marks on the collar, which immediately answered the question to which Osgood Missy had killed. It made a lot of sense that Missy went for the Osgood who had tried to dress like her. In every aspect of her life that woman had left her mark.

"We need to go. They're not going to wait for us," Danni warned them. The Doctor nodded, getting back to releasing Osgood.

"What do the Zygons want?" he asked again.

"They're training, practising new skills," Osgood replied. "Doctor, what are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you," the Doctor replied as her manacles fell away. "In a quite dashing way, I might add." He leant a little closer. "It's the skirt," he said lowly. "It really helps with the look, don't you think?"

"Yes," Osgood agreed, glancing at Danni. She really did look rather different to the last time she saw the Time Lady. She knew about and had experienced regeneration, but it was still terribly fascinating. "No. I mean… The Zygons, they fled through the tunnels. They're going back to the UK. If you two are here, they've got you out of the way. Who's left in the UK?"

"Clara," Danni whispered, horrified. They'd just left her there with only UNIT to protect her. Clara was good, but she was still only human. They needed to get back.

" _Clara_ ," a voice hissed from behind them. Without thinking, Danni spun on her heels and pulled her gun out of her pocket. Despite of the very surprising amount of anger that flared that they _dared_ to say her best friend's name, she aimed above them and shot three times. The ceiling collapsed onto the Zygon that had appeared, crushing it underneath them.

She blinked in surprise, turning back around to see Osgood and the Doctor staring at her. "I-I'd forgotten I had that on me," she admitted.

The Doctor pulled Osgood up from her chair. "Good," he replied sincerely. "Means you don't need it." The whole room shook as something very loud landed above them.

"The strike's starting," Danni declared. "We need to get out."

"So much for ten minutes," he retorted. He grabbed Danni's hand on the way past and Osgood quickly followed.

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor had not been happy about having to take his wife through an active airstrike. Danni hadn't been happy that any of them to have to make their way through an active airstrike. Osgood was just happy to not be chained up anymore.

They had the Zygon brought back with them. _That_ had been the Doctor's idea. Danni had been more than happy to let it rot for kidnapping Osgood and had been rather vocal about the matter.

"We should have just left it," she snapped as they walked into the main room on the plane. "It deserved nothing less."

"We can get more information from them," the Doctor replied patiently.

"I don't care," Danni replied shortly. "I'm the President, you should do what I say."

"Um, actually…" Osgood started weakly. She didn't want to interrupt their argument but, even with what had happened to her, she still couldn't help correcting Danni.

"The Doctor handed it over to me," the Time Lady interrupted before her husband could get another word in. "A fat lot of good that does me. Just get me to fight with the humans, but only when _you_ want me to!"

"You know I'm right about the Zygon. We couldn't just let them be blown up!"

"There were other Zygons! All of them could have had information. That _thing_ held Osgood in the bloody basement!" She pointed to the back of the room, where a black curtain hung over the doorway where the Zygon had been wheeled through. "And now I'm bloody arguing with you while it's in the other room! It held her in the fucking basement!"

"Danielle…" he started and she glared at him in warning. He held his hands up, trying to calm her down. "Danni, you _know_ I'm right."

She stared at him for a moment longer then turned around, walking over to the computer that sat in the corner. He closed his eyes, sighing heavily. He knew that she wasn't angry at him. She was angry at the Zygon who had taken Osgood. This was just her worry coming out as anger, which he could appreciate. He watched her fire up the internet browser and knew that she would calm down eventually.

He turned his attention to Osgood, who had taken a quiet perch on one of the leather chairs. "I like the glasses," he said, nodding to the pair perched on her nose. "A new style, aren't they?"

Osgood reached up, adjusting the thin-rimmed glasses. She had chosen them shortly after her sister had died. One of them had tried to keep the Doctor in her clothing, and the other Danni. Without her sister, she had to represent both. "They seem a little redundant, now," she admitted. She glanced over at Danni, who seemed to be typing angrily on the computer.

The Doctor also looked over at his wife. "Yeah, perfect vision this time," he said softly before turning back. "She likes building furniture now. Perhaps you could get a necklace with a chair on it, or something?"

Osgood smiled, amused. "Yeah, something," she agreed.

The Doctor rolled one of the wheeled office chairs over to her, sitting down close. "Which one are you? Human or Zygon?"

She immediately pulled back, looking annoyed and a little defensive at the question. "I don't answer that question."

"Why not?"

"Because it's bloody rude!" Danni called over. The pair looked to her again but she didn't look around from the monitor. "They were both Osgood. It doesn't matter if she was originally a Zygon, or a human or a... or a Dalek. She's Osgood. She'll always want to preserve the peace."

"I will give all the lives I have to protect it," Osgood promised. "You want to know who I am, Doctor? I am the peace. I am Human and Zygon."

His face dropped. "Like a hybrid," he muttered.

Danni held her hand up. "Welcome to the club, sweetie," she called over. "We can be human hybrids together."

Osgood blushed and the Doctor tried not to focus on that word again. It made him too antsy and he had more to worry about.

"Well, I'm proud to know you, Osgood." He smiled knowingly. "And I promise that I won't tell anyone that you're a human." She looked slightly surprised. "Zygons need to keep the human original alive to refresh the body print. If you were a Zygon, you'd've changed back within days of your sister's death," he explained.

She shook her head. "Those were the old rules, before Zygons could pluck loved ones from your memory and wear their faces. Zygons only need to keep the original alive if they need more information from them. If the interrogation is over, then the original can die."

Danni finally climbed out of her chair, walking over to them. "So we can't even tell if anyone's still alive?" she asked. Her and the Doctor shared a look. "That's changed since the last time, hasn't it?"

"They've not been on Earth long, but it's had a profound effect on all Zygons," Osgood explained. "It's a fairly new development, but I'm sure the resistance will be exploiting it."

"I'd bet my sunglasses on it," the Doctor muttered. "I think we need to have a talk with our new friend."

 _~0~0~0~_

The plane took off and the Zygon was wheeled out. The Doctor really thought that talking to them was going to help, that he'd get something worthwhile from it. Danni thought all they had was an angry, scared Zygon who would just antagonise them further.

So she focused on contacting Clara. She had been concerned about Osgood, which always annoyed her because her concern had been used against her in the past. With Clara, though, she was absolutely terrified and more than happy to show it. Clara was her best friend, who had always been there for her, who had been hurting when Danni had been taken and who Danni knew had spent so much time looking for her across the universe.

She could go to Clara when she had questions, or worries, or just needed a normal night out with her best friend. Clara had really become the best friend she'd ever had and the idea that she was currently investigating terrified Zygons was horrid. She just wanted to know that she was okay.

But her phone rang and rang and Clara never answered. She was probably busy with UNIT, but Danni _knew_ it wasn't that. She had quite the good sense for danger and every red light she had was flashing in her head. Something was wrong with Clara.

Even the Doctor was feeling slightly concerned by the way Clara wasn't answering the phone. She was hopelessly infatuated with his wife, so knowing that she wasn't jumping at the chance to talk to her meant that something rather bad could have been going down in the UK and they were stuck in the sky for a few hours yet. He just hoped that UNIT didn't do anything stupid until they turned up.

Danni almost sagged in relief when the ringing stopped and Clara answered. "Clara, are you alright?" she asked quickly. "Is everything alright?"

" _Danni,_ " Clara replied slowly, purposefully and Danni straightened.

"Where's Clara?" she demanded. "What have you done to my friend?!"

" _This plane will never land,"_ the Zygon captive hissed and Danni pointed at it.

"You shut up!" she snarled.

" _You're breaking up,_ " Clara's voice replied, sounding far away and Danni looked to her husband. He could see the pure terror in her eyes.

"It's not Clara," she whispered. "That's not Clara."

He looked back at the Zygon for a moment, noting the glee on its face. Whatever was happening down on the ground was happening to Clara, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was concerned as well. She had been his friend too, once.

He held his hand out for Danni's phone and she handed it to him, reverting to biting her lip and hugging herself. He put the phone on speaker and the trio gathered around it.

"Clara, the invasion has happened. You're probably surrounded by Zygons. Get to the TARDIS," the Doctor instructed as if it was Clara on the other end.

" _I'm sorry,_ " she replied, " _but Clara's dead._ "

"No," Danni breathed.

" _Kate Stewart is dead. The UNIT troops are all dead,_ " the Zygon-Clara continued. Danni felt her stomach rolling, the sound of plane's engines dulling as everything was drowned out by the overwhelming devastation at the idea that Clara was dead.

The Doctor reached out for her hand. She grabbed it and he pulled her close. Osgood looked just as horrified, and the Zygon grinned in victory.

 _~0~0~0~_

Down below, on a cliff, Zygon-Clara raised her rocket launcher, aiming it calmly at the plane that was coming in over the sea that contained the few people who could stop her plans. Without a smile, or any nerves, she pulled the trigger and sent the missile soaring towards them.

" _Truth or consequences."_

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Not much to say this week except - RIP Eddie. You were the best dog xxx_


	35. The Search

_The doors opened into the main room and Danni thought, yet again, that it all seemed unnecessarily large. The table in the middle was large, the stairs up to the platform overlooking everything were large, the room itself was just so… large._

 _That was because, though, there was only the two of them in there. She posed in the doorway, one arm above her head, the other pulling out the black skirt she was wearing. "I'm sure this looked better on the ginger me, but I still rock it," she declared before she headed in with a large grin on her face._

 _She caught a glance of herself in the large, glass table. She really did look fantastic in the maid's outfit. It was probably a bit more tailored than an actual maid's outfit, a bit more flattering and tantalising, but then again she hadn't picked it to do any cleaning in._

 _Above her, her best friend slid down the handrail instead of walking down the stairs. "Don't sell yourself short," he replied, jumping off the end with a flourish. "I think the subservient look really suits you."_

 _She shot him a look. "You don't actually think that," she stated confidently. "You like me to have a little fight in me. It's what makes our friendship so exciting."_

" _That and your husband would never approve."_

 _That was definitely true. Danni looked around the room again. The Doctor, her Theta, would hate that she was back here. He'd never understood, not really. There had been a time when she hadn't either. But she'd come to terms, she'd learnt, and now she was actually rather glad to be back on the Valiant._

" _Yeah, well, he's not here right now, is he?" she pointed out before running to him. "You look much better in a suit."_

 _The Master grinned. "Just like old times?" he asked. He grabbed her hand, giving her a twirl and she laughed in delight._

 _When he pulled her back she looked at him eagerly. "Where are we now?"_

 _He practically dragged her up the stairs to the windows that looked out over the world below. "Somewhere over Eastern Asia," he explained as she pressed both hands against the window, looking down through the clouds below them. She could see the land mass, but not much else. They were a bit too high up for that, but she still loved to see the world from a new perspective._

" _Will we get to land soon?"_

" _Of course," he purred. "First, though…"_

 _He reached over, flicking a switch or two. She laughed as music began playing and she turned around, leaning against the cool glass._

" _And what, exactly, is that for?" she asked him, as if she didn't know already. He held out his hand for hers. "My husband wouldn't approve."_

" _Well, he's not here right now, is he?" he repeated. She smiled and took it, letting him pull her close. She wasn't sure if she'd heard the song before, but she did rather like it. Nice and upbeat. She liked songs that made her smile, not made her cry._

 _She had missed the Master so much over recent times. It had come onto her suddenly, and then it became a feeling that she was used to having around. Why wouldn't she miss him? He hadn't treated her any better than Missy, but he had been just as sick as her. Sometimes regenerations just got on better with each other. Her blonde self and the Doctor's Eleventh self were prime examples of that. They never loved each other less, but it was why she had struggled when he'd regenerated. This time, instead of just being… well, he ended up like Missy, instead._

 _He wrapped an arm around her waist and they swayed together, her hand holding onto his. "Koschei?"_

" _Yes, Danielle?"_

" _This isn't real, is it?" she asked. "You got sucked into the Time War and regenerated."_

" _That's right," he confirmed. "You left me, remember?"_

" _I didn't mean to," she pointed out. "You told me to go. I tried to hold on."_

" _I know," the Master replied. "And now look at us? Dancing together. Who would have thought?"_

 _He pulled her a little closer, a little too close and she laughed as she stepped back. "I told you; none of that," she scolded lightly. "Can't we just enjoy being together until I wake up?"_

 _He sighed. "And what you want to do is dance?" he asked. "We could be out there, saving the universe like you and that prattling idiot seem so keen on doing. Why this?"_

 _She shrugged. "There's so many things I want to ask you," she explained. "How you regenerated. What happened to make you like Missy? Why you ever thought kidnapping me was a good idea?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Did you really think I wouldn't escape eventually?"_

" _Don't ask me. I'm not responsible for whatever future regenerations I have," he retorted. "But we could… I don't know..." He grinned that evil grin of his. "Take over the world? Wouldn't you like that? King and Queen of all humanity. We could finally stop them being so useless. We could help them sore."_

 _She sighed. "Why, even in my head, are you so hellbent on taking things over?"_

" _Because that's what I was, my Pet," he purred, spinning her out then back into his arms. "Just because you think you saw differently doesn't me you did."_

" _I did see differently," she corrected. "You didn't hit me. You did save the universe. You saved me from Rassilon."_

" _You always were one for trying to find the good in people," the Master said heavily, like it was an annoyance. "And yet you always look for it in the wrong people."_

" _You could have been brilliant if you'd let yourself be," Danni said softly. "You could just never listen to anyone but yourself."_

" _Danielle," he said and she grinned._

" _You know I'm right," she retorted cheekily._

" _Danielle," he repeated. She frowned. "Danni?"_

 _She sighed heavily and held his hand tighter. "I'm waking up," she declared. "I'll see you next time."_

" _Danielle?"_

 _~0~0~0~_

Osgood sat up in the sand, panting heavily and still wearing her parachute. Her first thought was to feel around, looking for her glasses that she had obviously lost when she had landed judging by the way the world around her looked like a dull, brown and grey mass.

She found them, but they were broken and she chucked them away. She didn't even have her spare pair on her. She hadn't had a chance to grab them when she had been first taken by the Zygons. It was just another annoyance that she could have done without.

The missiles had come at the plane in quick succession. Luckily the first one had missed, which had given them a chance to get out of the plane before the second hit and blew it up. She just hoped that everyone else got out alright, but she also knew that her line of work meant that there were always casualties.

"Danielle," the Doctor's voice said frantically from her side. "Danni? Danni?"

She turned and saw him stripping off his own parachute – with a Union Jack on, no less – to move to where he wife was sprawled out. None of them were particularly graceful in their landing, and Danni was currently lying across a bunch of rather large rocks, her own parachute behind her. The Doctor quickly moved over to her side and Osgood was quick to follow.

"Is she breathing?" she asked the Doctor, who quickly looked his wife over.

"I think she's just had a nasty bump," he replied shortly. "Come on, Danielle, this isn't a time for a nap." He gave her a little shake. "Come on."

Her eyelids flickered. " _No_ ," she groaned quietly and he sighed in relief. They'd had to jump out so quickly that he wasn't sure what might have happened on the way down. The fact that her parachute had been released was a good sign, but a million thoughts had rushed through his mind at the sight of her on the ground. But she was awake, so he knew nothing could be wrong.

He still pulled out his sonic sunglasses, just to be sure. She was frowning as she stared up at him as he scanned her. "Bad dream, Danni-Girl?" he asked. He'd come to learn that, whenever she woke up with that tiny denial on her lips, it was because she was dreaming of Missy. It was the one place he couldn't protect her.

Danni pressed her lips together as the memory of the dream was as clear as the sight of her husband above her. Dancing with the Master, _laughing_ with the Master. "No," she replied softly, knowing what he was really asking. "I wasn't dreaming about her."

She pushed herself up and both Osgood and the Doctor helped her. She didn't feel unsteady, but she could barely feel anything at all. Now that she was waking up she remembered everything. The plane explosion, the phone call. _Clara_.

Her hands clenched in the rocks and sand around her. They'd killed her. They'd killed Clara. She wasn't ready for that, yet, but she didn't have time to be upset. She just had to help stop the impending war. Then she would make them pay.

Osgood looked at the Doctor, seeing the concern he was feeling at Danni's blank look. "Danni?" she asked slowly but got no response. "We-We should go."

The Doctor nodded. He wrapped an arm around Danni and helped her up, but the moment he did she shoved him off her, feeling suffocated. He didn't take it personally, but it still rather hurt that she didn't want him to hold her.

"Any questions?" he asked Osgood.

"Why do you have a Union Jack parachute?" she asked in reply.

"Er, camouflage," he offered and she frowned. He waved around them. "We're in Britain," he offered before noticing the broken glasses in her hands. "Oh, your specs are broken. I'll fix them." He took them off her and quickly passed her his sonic sunglasses. "You can wear mine, they're sonic."

Osgood smiled, amused as she slipped them on. "Isn't that a bit pointless? Like a visual hearing aid?"

"What's wrong with pointless?" the Doctor countered. "I once invented an invisible watch. Spot the design flaw."

"You're talking nonsense to distract me from being really scared. It's one of your known character traits," Osgood said knowingly, with a little nod because it was working. She couldn't help but analyse everything but he was doing it to help and it really was helping.

Danni remembered that watch. He'd shown it to her, once. Or, rather, he'd handed it to her once. The watch that turned you invisible was definitely a step up from it.

But she didn't care. She didn't care about the banter, or the plane, or his stupid inventions where he _really_ should have known better. All she cared about was Clara. Poor fantastic, brave, wonderful Clara who had been killed because of a stupid experiment they were playing on the Earth. She felt devastated, and broken, but most of all just angry.

She turned and stormed off away from them both, pulling her gun out and letting it hang at her side, ready for any fight coming her way.

The Doctor pointed at Osgood. "Don't look at my home videos," he warned before darting after her.

Osgood couldn't help herself. Being told not to do something was the exact way to get her to do it. She pressed the top of the sunglasses and was greeted with a rather… intimate video she didn't need to see. " _Woah_ ," she exclaimed, pressing the button to get rid of it.

"I said 'don't'," the Doctor muttered to himself before falling into step with Danni. "Danni, slow down."

She shook her head. "You may not give a shit anymore, Theta, but they _killed_ Clara," she ranted angrily. "There's been enough bloodshed. I'm not going to let her death be in vain. This ends now."

"I-I know," he stuttered out, reaching for her arm. "You just need to stop for a moment."

She did, turning her anger at him. "She's my best friend!" she raged. "You and Clara were the _only_ things I thought about that kept me fighting to escape. I'm-I'm not ready for this, _she_ isn't ready for this. I'm going to tear them apart for taking her!"

"I know!" he reassured her. "But we're trying to stop a war, not start one!"

"Oh, this isn't war," she replied. "This is vengeance."

"Is-Is everything okay?"

Osgood had joined them, just between the two. Danni was furious, the Doctor was pleading with her and Osgood knew that neither of those things were a good combination. With them being her two favourite people to study and, well, fan over she didn't want to see them locking horns.

"Yes," Danni replied shortly.

"No," the Doctor replied softly. Danni shook her head.

"I noticed something," Osgood offered. "We're not dead."

"Well done," the Doctor replied. "Glad UNIT is putting that brain of yours to full use."

"What I mean is, why didn't the Zygon blow us up with her big bazooka?"

"She did blow us up with her big bazooka," the Doctor replied as they started walking again. "This is us being blown up with a big bazooka."

Danni shook her head. "No, that was the plane being blown up with her big bazooka," she replied. "We jumped and she didn't seem to care."

"She seems to know what she's doing," Osgood continued. "The first thing I'd do if I wanted to invade the world would be to kill you."

"Thanks," the Doctor replied sarcastically.

"I wouldn't even let you get talking, like you always do. Bullet between the eyes, first thing. Both of you."

"We get the point, sweetie," Danni interrupted.

"Twelve times, if necessary."

"Ah, yes. Why limit yourself?" the Doctor drawled. "You've really thought this through, haven't you?"

"I'm a big fan," she explained with a sheepish smile. "But she gave you a chance to get out. She hesitated. If she had Clara's memory print, she'd know better than to give you even a second." The Doctor glanced at Danni, who was looking straight forward, lips pursed together. The mention of Clara had sent her back into her mind and, if even the last minute was to go by, that wasn't a good thing.

He couldn't help but think about Danni's kill count. How many of that had been self defence, and how many had been out of vengeance? Would she ever tell him? Did he even want to know?

"Why do they want to destroy the ceasefire?" Osgood asked, moving the subject away from Clara as they reached the main road.

"Don't think of them as rational. They're different," the Doctor replied. "They don't care about human beings, they don't care about their own people. They think the rest of Zygonkind are traitors."

Danni paused as her phone tingled, alerting her to a new text. It was from Clara. Or, rather, the Zygon that wasn't going to have a good time once Danni got her hands on it.

 _I'm awake_.

Her brows furrowed as she stared at it. What did that even mean? Why the hell was the Zygon contacting her when they thought all three of them were dead? Even she had to admit it was a pretty strange taunt to send.

The Doctor and Osgood looked at the phone. "Is that from Clara?" Osgood asked. "Well, not Clara. They Zygon who…"

The Zygon who killed her. That was how that sentence was supposed to end. But Danni shook her head. "No," she replied. "It's from Clara."

"Danielle…" the Doctor started.

"I know Clara," Danni interrupted. "This is Clara."

"She tried to blow us up with a big bazooka," he reminded her.

"Yes, _tried_ ," Danni pointed out. She turned to Osgood. "You know Clara. You worked with Clara. Do you think that she wouldn't, for one moment, try and fight back control from someone who had taken it from her?"

"She did, on more than one occasion, take over safety talks because they weren't being given in the right way," Osgood said.

"That does sound like Miss Oswald," the Doctor agreed a little harshly. Danni didn't care.

"This isn't just some Zygon on the rampage." She held up the phone, showing him the message. "This isn't Clara just telling us she's awake inside her pod. This is Clara telling us she's _alive_."

He saw the hope in her eyes, the way she held the phone tightly as if it was a lifeline. He saw the murderous rage fade away and, while he didn't get on with Clara anymore he still had never wished her dead. But knowing that this might be the hope that she needed to bring her down from her intent to kill the Zygon who had wronged her, he did something he wasn't exactly proud of; he nodded, letting her have the hope that he still wasn't sure was there.

"The Zygon probably doesn't even know it sent this, or why it misfired that bazooka," Osgood reasoned.

"We've got to hurry," Danni declared. "We don't know how long she's got and we need to find her!"

 _~0~0~0~_

"She's not answering," Osgood said, pulling Danni's phone away from her ear.

"Keep trying," Danni replied as they looked around. She hadn't been able to call Clara herself. She hadn't wanted the Zygon to answer and tell her Clara was really dead this time. She knew she had to stay more controlled, and that meant that someone had to be in the intimidate between the two.

"We need transport," the Doctor said. "We need to get back to the TARDIS, somehow." He spotted the police car just up the road and his eyes lit up. "Ah, that's more like it. A bit of good luck for once."

The trio rushed up to the window and the policemen inside opened it, looking at them with rather blank looks. "Doctor John Disco," the Doctor introduced himself. "And my wife, Mrs Jane Disco." He held out his psychic paper, showing them the identities he'd just made up. "That was her plane. Well, our plane. We had a big plane for purposes of, er, poncing about."

"Really?" Danni muttered. She leant forward, looking at the two policemen who didn't seem too bothered by the raving man and his friends. "Hey, you know what, it doesn't matter," she said. "He's been on the rum. It happens. We'll get him home."

She grabbed his arm and dragged him away, Osgood on their heels. "They're everywhere," she hissed. "What do we do?"

Osgood pulled the phone away from her ear. "She's answered," she explained, holding the phone out to the Doctor.

Danni, who had been very happy with the plan for her not to talk to the Zygon Clara up until that point, snatched the phone before they could stop her. With one press of the screen she switched it into video mode. Clara's face appeared on the screen, hair pulled back.

" _You're dead,_ " Zygon-Clara declared.

"Yeah, we do that," Danni dismissed. "Is Clara alive?"

" _She was ever so fond of you, as well,_ " the Zygon continued.

"Is Clara alive?" Danni repeated as the Doctor motioned to a van in front of them to use as their getaway. "And bear in mind, any answer you give will be directly related to the answer to anything you ask and your continued existence."

"Danielle," the Doctor warned as Osgood unlocked the van with the Doctor's glasses. Danni ignored him.

Zygon-Clara paused for a moment, weighing up the options given. " _For now,_ " she offered. " _Not much longer._ "

Danni felt her whole body relax in relief. "Why are you trying to end the ceasefire?" she asked. "What's your plan of attack?"

" _I don't have a plan._ "

Danni scoffed. "Don't have a plan? You're currently wearing a time traveller and UNIT operative's face. You blew up a plane. Come on, don't be an idiot all your life."

" _I don't have a plan,_ " she repeated. The Doctor climbed into the driver's seat of the van, Danni in the back and Osgood in the passenger seat. The Doctor turned around in his seat, grabbing the phone from Danni, who was happy to give it to him at that point. She knew Clara was alive, that was all that mattered to her. Saving the world, now, was a team effort.

"Come on, you don't invade planets without having kind of plan. That's why they're called planets, to remind you to plan it? Hey, hey! That's good!" He turned to Osgood. "Pun-tastic. Doctor Pun-tastic!" He didn't wait to see her grimace in response, instead he turned back to the phone. "Oh, come on, that was a good one, Zygella!"

" _Don't call me Zygella. My name's Bonnie,_ " she corrected proudly. She then winked at them. The Doctor frowned, confused.

"And you're winking at me," he declared.

" _I am not winking at you,_ " she dismissed. " _Where is the Osgood box?_ "

"You do know what winking means?" he asked. "You do also know that the only person I like winking me is in the van and not, well, wherever you are?"

" _I am not winking at you. Where is the box?_ " Bonnie demanded.

"Doctor, they're coming," Danni warned him.

"Okay. Non-verbal communication," he declared before addressing Clara inside Bonnie's head. "I assume that you never bothered to learn Morse code," he said, a little too mockingly for Danni's taste. "We'll have to try something else. Twenty questions. Where's your pod? Is it in a tunnel? Is it in London?"

Bonnie's eye continued to wink and, finally, she seemed to notice it. She covered the eye with her hand then, seemingly realising she had two eyes, she covered them both. It didn't matter though. Clara had given him enough information and he grinned. "About time you did something useful," he said. "Stay where you are, Oswald. We're coming to get you. And for God's sake, don't let her into your memories. Don't tell her where the Osgood box is, and above all, don't tell her what it is."

He hung up the phone then chucked the phone back to Danni. He set up with a bit of a wheelspin, driving away from the policemen who had been advancing.

"Obviously, the Zygon could hear that," Osgood pointed out.

"Obviously."

"So she's going to poke around inside Clara's mind, looking for answers," she continued.

"The mind of Clara Oswald. It's a dark and twisted place. She may never find her way out."

"Can you stop talking about my best friend like that?" Danni snapped. "You may have given up on her, but I haven't. Play nice!"

"But she tried to…."

"She tried to kill me, yes, I know," Danni snapped. "That's not the worst thing that's ever happened, you know? She didn't actually kill me. People try and kill me all the time. If I stayed angry at each of them I'd have no time to do anything else."

"She broke our trust, _my_ trust," the Doctor protested.

"And she's the first one you went to when I was taken," Danni retorted. She saw his alarmed look on his face. "Yeah, didn't think I'd find that out, did you?"

"Did _she_ tell you that?" he asked.

"No, actually, Missy did," she replied. "Right after meeting Santa."

The Doctor glanced at his wife in the rear-view mirror. "Santa?" he asked. "You mean at the North Pole? With the Dream Crabs?"

"When else?"

"That actually happened?" he asked. "That was actually you?"

Danni looked at the back of her husband's chair, a little baffled. "Yeah, of course it did," she replied. "I thought Clara would have told you."

"She did. I just- How?"

Danni shrugged. "Missy," she offered. "She wanted me to see you leave me to die of your own accord so I'd give up waiting for you. It backfired and it just gave me the resolve to escape."

The Doctor couldn't help it. He grinned. He had held onto that strange encounter with the hope that it was her that had really appeared, but never with the actual belief it was. But it had been. That had been his wife. Across all of time and space they'd reached out and they'd found each other.

"God, you're amazing," he told her and she shifted slightly, blushing but she didn't say a word.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you smile before," Osgood told the Doctor. "I'd have much rather seen that than how I saw you before."

"I told you not to look," the Doctor said.

"Look at what?" Danni asked, confused.

"The video…" Osgood started.

"It was nothing. Nothing at all," the Doctor interrupted before she could say anything that might have incriminated him.

Danni frowned. "Video?" she repeated before quickly working out that, with Osgood wearing his sunglasses, she would have had access to everything. "You told me you weren't storing that on them!"

"I wasn't, I'm not," he quickly reassured her. "I just didn't have time to take it off before we left the TARDIS."

"You promised me that it would never leave the TARDIS! I wouldn't have let you record anything…"

"Let me record anything? It was _your_ idea! How was I supposed to know she'd go snooping?"

"Please stop talking," Osgood begged. "I really don't need to hear this."

 _~0~0~0~_

Bonnie hadn't done a great job hiding her location. Along with the text Clara had sent them, posting a video online filmed at the same spot gave them a point to start from. It was one of London's smaller, less loved estates.

The Doctor, it seemed, was better driving a car than he was the TARDIS. That may have come down to the fact that a car was designed to be driven by just one person, but Danni was certain that he did like the jolting around even in this regeneration. He still skidded as he parked the car, though, and was out of the front in a hurry.

She was surprised when he opened the back door before she had a chance to. At her confused look his held his hand out to her. "Ever the gentleman," she said and he bowed his head slightly.

"There's always time for a bit of class," he replied, helping her out. She looked around at the unkept greenery and the tower blocks that made up the area.

"Western Earth never seem to be able to create nice estates," she commented as they headed past a pedestrian bridge with the Zygon logo sprayed onto it. "I went to this lovely estate once, on Hugustus. Well-kept gardens, care and pride went into every small shack. They could teach a lot to humans about that."

"You've been to Hugustus?" the Doctor asked, surprised.

"I lived there for two months once," she explained. "It was really nice until word started to spread that I was there. I had to leave pretty sharpish. That and the local wordsmith wanted to marry me. Said I'd be a fantastic mother to his seventeen children. Wanted me to have number eighteen." She looked up at him. "Have you ever been?"

He shook his head. "Always wanted to," he replied quickly. "Who wanted to marry you?"

Danni turned to Osgood. "Where was the video shot?"

"And he wanted you to do _what?_ " the Doctor continued.

"Just over there," Osgood replied, pointing to a building that bore the sign 'Fleet Estate Centre'. The Doctor grabbed his wife's arm.

"You can't- You can't just dump that information and not follow up!" he protested.

"Zygon invasion, sweetie," she reminded but he stared at her until she sighed. "Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Did you?" he asked.

"Did I what?"

"Marry him?"

She looked at him for a moment like he had two heads. Then she sighed heavily. "My lord, you really are Doctor Idiot, aren't you?" she stated before turning around. "Come on, we have to stop everything getting worse."

He had known it was a stupid question and took her response not as a slight on him but as confirmation that he was, indeed, being an idiot. He followed her and Osgood into the centre. Immediately he felt the air sizzle and he paused.

"There's electricity in the air," he commented.

"It stinks," Osgood replied, her nose wrinkled up as Danni continued inwards. "It smells like barbecues."

"That'll be why," Danni said. She looked down at the sparking, sizzling piles of hairy lumps which were, most likely, remains of the humans that the Zygons would have encountered.

"Oh."

Danni shot her a soft smile, encouraging her to continue forward through the dark building. They walked past a few closed shops, illuminated only by the flashlights they carried.

"What's your name?" the Doctor asked out of the blue. Osgood and Danni shared a look as it took, just a moment, for them to realise that he was talking to Osgood.

"Osgood."

"No, no, no. Your first name?" he asked. She glanced at him before busying herself with looking everyone else.

"What's your first name?" she countered. Which, the Doctor had to admit, was a fair question to ask. Not one he could answer, but a fair question none the less.

"Basil." Danni snorted and he pouted slightly. Even if she hadn't, there was no way Osgood would have believed him.

"Petronella," she offered. The Doctor tried not to look like it was a horrid name, but she knew it was. It was why she never went by it. She still wasn't sure why her parents had cursed her with it.

"Let's just, er, stick with what we had," the Doctor replied and she agreed.

"You know, when Jack used to talk about his daughter and he couldn't say it was me, he used to call her 'Ella'," Danni commented offhandedly just to see Osgood perk up. "Just, you know, in case you ever felt like a different nickname. There's nothing wrong with Osgood, but sometimes people like a change. You could have that, if you like."

Osgood smiled, grateful and the Doctor realised that they were probably getting closer to where they needed to be. "I need to ask you, because it's important, because it might matter," he told Osgood.

"No," Danni replied shortly. "You're not asking it again."

"It might matter, later on," he replied and she shook her head.

"We're trying to stop a war between humans and Zygons. We're trying to help them come to terms to a world where it doesn't matter. How does asking that question help achieve that?"

He didn't have time to answer her, he had to admit, rather apt question. A door to a nearby shop opened and the accompanying squelching noise suggested that there was a Zygon heading inside. They quickly followed after them, seeing them in full form before they dashed into the store.

"We can help you!" the Doctor called after them. A moment later a large, rather sweaty and ill-looking man appeared from behind one of the shelving units.

"It wasn't me. They attacked me. They saw me. I had to," he explained and he squelched but didn't change. Instead he let out a painful groan.

"Woah, woah, it's okay," Danni replied. "What happened to you?"

"A commander came. She turned me back!" he said, horrified before groaning again as his face contorted.

"We can help. We can help you," Osgood reassured him before turning to the Time Lords. "Doctor, we can help him, can't we?"

"I'm not sure," the Doctor admitted. He hadn't seen anything like it before. Whatever the officer had done to them – and he assumed it was the fake Clara – was rather nasty and he had no idea how they'd achieved it.

The man chucked his hand out and a burst of electricity flew out and hit the Doctor. He staggered and Danni caught him as she glared at the Zygon. "Oi!" she called after the Zygon as the Doctor quickly blinked the attack away. "Are you alright?"

"We can't let them get away," the Doctor replied and they followed them into the store room. They were hiding amongst the stock, looking panic and pained and it was awful to see.

"I can't help you just now, but…" the Doctor tried but they just shot some more electricity at the Doctor. This time Danni was ready, pushing him just enough out of the way that it only his arm was hit.

"Why? I was happy like this. I was happy here," the Zygon declared. "I can't change, I can't hide."

"Let us help you," Osgood begged but he hissed, stepping away.

"No! You're Truth or Consequences," he declared. She shook her head. Human or Zygon, or both, it didn't matter. Seeing him in so much pain hurt and she wished, more than anything, that her sister was there to back her up. But she wasn't. Osgood was alone and she had to find the strength to help where she could.

"We're not. We're really not," she promised.

He groaned again, fighting his transformation. "I'm not part of your fight," he lamented. "I never wanted to fight anyone, I just wanted to live here. Why can't I just live?" He raised his hand up, pointing his palm towards his own face. "I can't go back now. You've taken my life!"

Realising what he was going to do, the Doctor shot forward. "No, no, no! Stop!"

The Zygon met his gaze. "They will kill me," he said softly before shooting an electric bolt at himself. He disintegrated, leaving behind nothing but a pile of sparking hair.

"There it is, Osgood," the Doctor said lowly. "There's their plan." He raised his gaze, looking at his wife. She was staring at the remains of the Zygon with no expression, nothing to suggest that she was happy, or sad. The Doctor had come to realise that it just meant she was processing her own emotions, hiding them from the surface because she couldn't afford to let them free. Because she was terribly sad.

He grabbed her hand on the way past, but he didn't have to pull her behind him. It seemed that she was just as eager to get out as he was. They all kept quiet as they made their way back into the centre.

"They're trying to scare everyone to death," Danni said quietly. "They want to make everyone as afraid as him, don't they?"

"Unmask everyone, provoke fear, paranoia, provoke a war," the Doctor agreed. It terrified Danni, because it was a tactic that Missy had used on her before. One that had, for a short time, worked completely. It was tried and tested and proven to work. And it was hard to beat.

"Doctor!" The trio came to a stop as Kate Stewart appeared, alive and well, with two UNIT grunts on either side of her.

"Kate," the Doctor greeted, pulling his wife to a stop by his side. Even Osgood was looking at her boss wearily. "Are you all right?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" she dismissed.

"It's just we'd heard otherwise," the Doctor replied.

She shook her head. "I'm fine," she said as if it was supposed to reassure her. In fact, it just made him feel more uneasy. "Doctor, we know where the Zygon command centre is. We know where Clara's pod is. We can take you there."

"Well, how very convenient, because that's just exactly what we're looking for," he purred in reply. Kate's brows furrowed for a moment, like she wasn't quite sure what he was insinuating, before giving a nod of her head to tell them to follow her.

With a shared, concerned, look they did just that.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Thank you all for your kind words. I promise I'll get back to replying to reviews next week._

 _Thanks for reading xxx_


	36. The Man of Peace

Danni grimaced as they walked through the underground tunnel. She was open to all creatures of any colour, shape or appearance, but did they really have to make everything so slimy? Bits of flesh hung off the ceilings and the floor squelched underfoot. It felt really untidy.

"Does everything have to be so gross?" she commented lowly. "I'd hate to be the janitor here."

"Different species work in different ways," the Doctor replied. "Some like metal computers, some like organic ones." Still, even as he defended it, he pulled out some hand sanitiser and handed it to her. She took it gratefully despite carrying her own, putting a splodge of it in one hand before rubbing it in.

He'd noticed that this regeneration really liked to keep her hands clean when she was worried. Even if she wasn't in a particularly worrisome situation he knew that when the hand sanitiser came out she was worrying about something. He knew that the Zygon created tunnel wasn't what was really bothering her, nor the pods that were stacked against every surface. It was the fact that Clara was in one of them.

"Well, they do like a good cave, don't they?" he commented. "How many of these pods are occupied?"

"We don't know."

Danni shone her torch over a rather large and obvious gap in the collection of pods. "I'm going to guess that was Clara?" she asked lowly.

"Well, that's strange," Kate commented, walking over to shine her torch in each corner, as if very lazily trying to spot where it could have gone.

Danni's eyes met with Osgood, who seemed to be having the same thought as both of the Time Lords. "Doctor, I think they're Zygons," she said, moving away from the two soldiers she had been stood by and to his side.

The two soldiers turned back into their Zygon forms but Kate did not. Danni still moved away from her though, pulling out her gun ready.

"Oh, you cheeky little monkeys!" the Doctor said. He should have known. Danielle hadn't been worried about Clara – well, no, she probably had been – but it must have been her picking up that Kate wasn't quite herself. She had known instantly that the Clara who had rung her hadn't been her best friend, and she'd always been good a picking up little things that he missed, even if she wasn't sure what she was picking up. He should have paid more attention to her hand cleaning.

Kate purposefully walked in between the two soldiers, proudly staring down the three captives. Without saying a word to them she pulled out a Zygon communicator, holding it aloft in front of her.

"The Doctor is here," she told the person on the other side.

" _Don't kill him. We need him alive,_ " Clara's voice replied. Danni's hands clenched angrily. The Zygon was still impersonating _her_ best friend. Why did they think that was going to end well for them?

Kate looked confused. "What for?" she asked, which was what they were all thinking.

" _Because I just found out why it's called an Osgood box,_ " she replied and Osgood and Danni shared a little, smug look. " _There's two of them._ "

"Two Osgoods, two boxes. Operation Double. What did you expect?" the Doctor replied with a little shrug.

" _What's in them, Doctor?_ " the Zygon asked. " _Tell me. Now!_ "

The Zygon soldiers began advancing slowly and the trio tried to back away. Danni didn't drop her aim, but she didn't want to shoot unless necessary. "One box normalises all the Zygons."

" _And the other?_ "

"Destroys them."

There was a long pause. " _Which is which?_ "

"Ah, that would be telling," he replied as they continued to be advanced on. There was another long pause filled with the snarling of the angry Zygons and the sound of footsteps from the communicator.

" _Which box normalises the Zygons, Danielle?"_ the Zygon asked her. " _Tell me, or she dies._ "

It was an incredibly clever play, the Doctor realised. He watched as Danni's eyes widened in horror at the idea of Clara dying. The Zygon had been in Clara Oswald's mind. Not only would it have seen how Clara cared for his wife, she would have seen just how much his wife cared for her. Or, rather, how much the relationship between himself and Clara had deteriorated. There was a better chance that Danielle would have answered than he would have.

And that chance paid off. She just didn't know that it was something they had planned for, and they all had a prepared response.

"The blue one!" Danni exclaimed in panic. "The-The blue one normalises the Zygons!"

" _Are you lying?_ " Bonnie asked. " _Are you lying to me, Danielle?_ "

" _Would I ever lie to Clara?_ " Danni replied. " _Blue's my favourite colour, it always has been, everyone knows that. I'd never allow the one that killed everyone to be in that box._ "

There was a pause as Bonnie weighed up the option that Danni had given her. Danni looked over at the Doctor and he shot her a reassuring smile. She took a little comfort in it, but until she knew Clara was okay she couldn't return it with her own.

" _Doctor?_ " Bonnie cried after she'd opened the box. Just as they'd all expected, she wasn't happy. " _Doctor!_ "

The Doctor smiled. "Yeah, I know."

There was a loud crash from the other end. " _Bring him to me!_ "

At the order the Zygons snarled, reaching out for the trio. "Don't," Danni warned. "You're not as good as aim as me, I promise."

The nearest Zygon dropped at the first gunshot, and then the other quickly followed with another fire. The Doctor's first instinct was to look to his wife to see if she was alright, and if she was the source, but apart from looking absolutely blindsided by the sudden attack she seemed fine.

Kate lowered her gun. "Sorry, Doctor. Self-defence," she said. He looked over.

"You're you," he said in realisation.

She didn't even nod. "I'm me."

"How did you survive?"

A small smirk appeared on her face. "Five rounds rapid," she replied.

Danni grinned. "That's my girl," she praised. Kate blinked at her, still surprised by the new Danni. Danni, on the other hand, put her gun back.

"Why does peacekeeping always involve killing?" the Doctor asked.

"That wasn't peacekeeping," Danni replied, as if she was justifying it. "Killing them was a bit unnecessary, but their anger would have only exasperated the situation." She turned to Kate, who was currently crushing her communicator underneath her heeled foot. "Are there more Zygons around?"

"They were the nearest," she offered before looking to Osgood. "You're you?"

Osgood nodded. "I'm me."

"But human or Zygon?"

Osgood's face hardened. " _Me_ ," she replied firmly because it wasn't up for discussion. As if she'd had to reaffirm that she was exactly who she said she was, that she wasn't just human or Zygon, one too many times for her liking that day.

"What are we dealing with?" Kate asked the two Time Lords, taking Osgood's answer at face value for now.

"Twenty million Zygons about to be unmasked. You don't know whether they are human or not. And you can't fight them, not with soldiers," the Doctor quickly explained.

"Which leads me to a very big question," Kate said. The Doctor rubbed his forehead, like the thought alone was painful to him. It was. Between the humans determined to commit genocide and Danni trying to justify the death of the Zygons on the floor, he really didn't know what was best.

"Oh, I was really hoping that it wouldn't," he muttered.

"The Zee-67, Sullivan's gas, the gas that kills the Zygons. You took it," Kate pointed out.

He almost rolled his eyes. It was all so predictable. Every time. "Well, you know how it is. Daddy knows best," he retorted.

"That's what's in the red box, yes?" She nodded her head once, continuing on before he could even answer her. "Of course it is. If I remember rightly, it causes a chain reaction in the atmosphere. Turns every Zygon on Earth inside out."

"Let us negotiate peace," the Doctor begged, motioning between himself and his wife. "You can't commit mass murder…"

"Then why did you leave the gas with us?" Kate interrupted.

"The boxes are safeguards for both species," the Doctor explained. " _You_ agreed to that."

"I never agreed to that," Kate scoffed

"Yes, you did, then I wiped your memory." He pointed at her. "And you agreed to that, too. But that's why there were two Osgoods to police the ceasefire. One human and one Zygon, to keep the secrets and keep the peace."

"I'm sorry, Doctor," Kate replied. "Truly. But the peace is failing already." She turned, heading out of the tunnel. "Come on."

"Do you get asked that question often?" Danni asked Osgood curiously as they followed her. "Which one you are?" she clarified at Osgood's confused look.

Osgood looked like even the idea of being asked annoyed her. "More than I like," she admitted. "Why?"

"It's just so rude," Danni replied. "You explained to the Doctor what it meant, I assume that's not the first time you've had to either?" Osgood shook her head. "And they still ask?" Osgood nodded. "Did they ask before your sister…" Danni came to a stop, realising that her curiosity had brought up the one thing she'd hoped to avoid. Osgood almost came to a stop slightly in front of her, still a little confused about the conversation.

"I am- I am sorry, you know?" Danni told her, shifting slightly on the spot. "About your sister. I know that…"

Osgood smiled fondly, knowing exactly where her train of thought was heading. That was also a known character trait of the Time Lords. Taking the guilt of others on because they didn't stop something from happening.

"You didn't kill her, Missy did," she interrupted. "It wasn't your fault."

Danni scoffed, still unable to look her in the eye. "Isn't it?"

"No," Osgood replied. "Missy killed my sister. Missy converted the dead into Cybermen. Missy did all of that horrible stuff, not you. It wasn't your fault."

Danni raised her gaze, brows furrowed just slightly. "Do you really believe that?" she asked.

"Of course," Osgood replied like it was everyone's belief. Like no one thought Missy's attempt at turning the planet to Cybermen was her fault. Like not once did Osgood or anyone else believe that Missy's plan had been her fault.

This was somewhat of a revelation to Danni. The Doctor had told her time and again it wasn't her fault. Clara had too, but they were her friends and family so of course they'd be on her side. She'd spent so long being told and believing that it was her fault that it just had to be, they were just being kind.

She surprised them all by launching forward, pulling Osgood into a tight hug that the other woman hadn't been expecting. Osgood froze for a moment before giving her a hug in return, part of her happy that Danni had decided she was who she needed comfort from, and part of her squealing like the fangirl she was because she was being hugged by _Danielle Fielding._

Danni pulled back, cupping her face in her hands. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said in the sincerest voice she could muster. She tilted Osgood's head down, placed a kiss on her forehead then let her go to stride purposefully through the tunnel. "Now let's go save Clara!"

The Doctor had watched the entire exchange with a grin on his face and quickly jogged to catch her up. Kate walked up to Osgood, who wasn't moving.

"Inhaler," she instructed. Osgood pulled her inhaler out and took a deep shot of it with a deep breath inwards. "That's it."

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara had spent too much time locked in her own head that, when she had been taken out of her pod she had been a little disorientated. She had been aware of what was happening and had done exactly as was needed of her, but still suddenly appearing in the Black Archive when she'd been in her living room only a moment ago did screw with her head slightly.

It did give her time to think, though. Bonnie seemed to be rather set on ending the ceasefire but she knew that it wasn't going to happen. She remembered all the other times that the Osgood Boxes had come into play. She remembered the Doctor and Danni talking Zygons down. All logic said that, statistically, it was more likely that they'd do it again and everything would be fine.

Of course, logic didn't mean anything when you were being held back by two red creatures covered in suckers who just seemed to keep on appearing in your life. It also didn't mean much when the one masterminding the end of the ceasefire was wearing your face and doing a rather good job of it.

Still, she had to hold onto the idea that Danni was on her way, the Doctor in tow, and everything was going to work out the way it always worked out. She was the boss of everything, after all, and that included her own fears.

"It's no good, Bonnie," she said to her doppelganger. "You can't win."

Bonnie looked over from the table where the two Osgood boxes sat. "I don't care," she replied, which actually was a _little_ bit terrifying.

"Hi!" Clara sighed in relief as the Doctor walked into the room, Osgood and Kate behind him and Danni to his side. "Hello! Hello!"

Clara's attention was, naturally, pulled to Danni. It was the skirt, Clara was sure of it, but she looked like she was ready to take on the entire room if she needed and that she would win that fight if she did. It was the same air that both River and Jack gave out whenever they were in the room.

Clara had almost kissed Jack once. She'd managed to stop herself, but she had been _pretty_ close to doing it. Maybe she was just attracted to the whole family. Maybe she just had a thing for unique, immortal time travelling aliens. At this point in her life Clara really wouldn't have been surprised.

"Are you alright?" Danni asked her as the Doctor asked Bonnie to step down. She was rather touched that Danni's first thought had been for her and not the safety of the rest of the planet. She gave nod in reply but didn't say a word.

"Let me take both of these boxes away," the Doctor requested. "We'll forgive, we'll forget. And the ceasefire will stand."

"No," Bonnie replied firmly. She turned, staring Kate down as if she was daring the UNIT commander to call her bluff.

She did. Kate walked over to the red box, looking between the two buttons that were on the top. One was labelled ' _Truth'_ , the other ' _Consequences'_.

"Doctor, which of these buttons do I press?" she asked the Time Lord. "Doctor, which one? Truth or consequences?"

Bonnie moved to stand next to the blue box. "Truth or consequences?" she echoed.

The Doctor looked at the two women who were both looking to him for the answer to start the war they were looking to fight. He was always the one they looked to, the one they always thought had the answers they were seeking. He glanced to his wife, then to Clara. He had, once upon a time, thought that this was the only way. He'd been shown differently. He just had to show them what they needed to see, not what they thought they did.

"This is the moment we've all been waiting for," he said lowly, ominously before his voice picked up and he put on a ridiculous American accent. "Make your mind up time!"

He skipped around the table. "My wonderful assistant, what's behind door number one?" he asked, waving his hand dramatically at the red Osgood box Kate was stood by.

"Well, Doctor, one of those buttons will destroy the Zygons with Sullivan's gas and the other will detonate the nuclear warhead that we're all currently stood on," Danni replied. Her own voice already had an American twang to it, but the Doctor just saw it as her getting into character with him.

"And door number 2," he continued, moving over to Bonnie's side. "Bonnie. Bonnie, sweetheart! One of those buttons will unmask every Zygon in the world. The other one cancels their ability to change form. It'll make them human beings for ever." His happy-go-lucky demeanour suddenly dropped. "There are safeguards beyond safeguards. I did this on a very important day for me and this ceasefire will stand."

Bonnie looked up at him like she couldn't believe was she was hearing. "This is wrong."

"No, it's not," he replied simply.

"You are responsible for all the violence. All of the suffering!"

He shook his head. "No, I'm not."

"Yes," she insisted.

"No."

"Yes," Bonnie repeated. "You engineered this situation, Doctor. This is your fault."

"No, it's not," he replied calmly as Bonnie's voice rose in anger. He pointed at her. "It's your fault."

"I had to do what I've done!" she retorted.

"So did I," the Doctor replied with a shrug. They were all arguments that he'd heard before, all things he'd thought himself until he'd been made to just _think_ about it for a moment.

"It's not fair," Bonnie declared, sounding almost wounded and the Doctor couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Oh, it's not fair! Oh, I didn't realise that it was not fair!" he mocked. "Well, you know what? My TARDIS doesn't work properly and I don't have my own personal tailor."

"The things don't equate," she replied.

"These things have happened, Zygella. They are facts," he corrected before pointing at her accusingly. "You just want cruelty to beget cruelty. You're not superior to people who were cruel to you; you're just a whole bunch of new cruel people," he declared in judgement. "A whole bunch of new cruel people being cruel to some other people," he turned, walking over to where Clara was stood as prisoner of the two Zygons who were in their true form. He looked her straight in the eye. "Who'll end up being cruel to you," he said and she looked away. It was cruel of him too, made him feel a little hypocritical but he turned and looked at Bonnie without thinking too much about it. Clara would understand. "The only way anyone can live in peace is if they're prepared to forgive," he explained. "Why don't you break the cycle?"

"Why should we?" she countered.

"What is it that you actually want?"

There was a long pause where Bonnie looked to Kate, then to Osgood as she weighed up the room. Then her face fell into a look of anger. "War."

"Ah. Ah, right." The Doctor nodded along. "And when this war is over, when you have a homeland free from humans, what do you think it's going to be like? Do you know? Have you thought about it? Have you given it any consideration? Because you're very close to getting what you want." Bonnie looked down for moment at the box and it was painfully obvious that she hadn't thought past this moment. She just wanted people to pay for the injustice she saw around her.

"Let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you've killed all the bad guys, and when it's all perfect and just and fair, when you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going to do with the people like you?" Again he pointed at her, staring her down, looking for the answer he knew she didn't have. "The troublemakers. How are you going to protect your glorious revolution from the next one?"

"We'll win," she replied confidently.

"Oh, will you?" the Doctor countered. "Well, maybe, maybe you will win! But nobody wins for long."

That was certainly true. Eventually someone would feel displeasure, or unfairness, in the hand that they were dealt. Eventually someone wouldn't be happy with the way they were being treated just like Bonnie wasn't happy and the arrogance that came with her answer just said that she had no idea what she was doing.

It was an arrogance that Danni and the Doctor had seen too many times. It was an arrogance they had both felt at different points in their lives and it was arrogance that neither of them wanted to leave to linger.

"Do you know what I see, Doctor?" Bonnie asked him before turning to face Kate. "A box," she said. "A box with everything I need. A fifty percent chance." Her hand immediately went to hover over the 'Consequences' button.

Kate quickly mirrored her actions, hovering over her 'Consequences' button. "For us, too."

He looked between the two and saw that he was a crucial tipping point. He saw that Bonnie was defensive, and Kate was reactionary and saw two very different fights he had to win.

He backed away, arms out at his side and put his stupid American accent back into place. "And we're off! Fingers on buzzers! Are you feeling lucky? Are you ready to play the game? Who's going to be quickest? Who's going to be luckiest?" He placed his arm around Danni's shoulders, pulling her a little closer to gain the comfort that she was there and was still on his side.

She didn't have anything to add to what he was doing. It was best that they both stayed focused on him as adding too many people into the equation would make an unstable situation practically catastrophic. She tilted to the side, giving him a quick side hug, she knew he would appreciate because at that moment she appreciated the touch she was getting from him.

"This is not a game!" Kate shouted and the Doctor nodded.

"No, it's not a game, sweetheart, and I mean that most sincerely," he replied with a horrid grin, letting go of his wife to step back towards the table.

"Why are you doing this?" Bonnie demanded.

"Yes, I'd quite like to know that, too," Kate agreed. "You set this up. Why?"

All of his bravado dropped and the fury on his face scared everyone who saw it. " _Because it's not a game, Kate!_ " he shouted. "This is a scale model of war. Every war ever fought, right there in front of you. Because it's always the same. When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know whose children are going to scream and burn! How many hearts will be broken! How many lives shattered! How much blood will spill until everybody does until what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning. _Sit down and talk_!" He sighed heavily, trying to calm himself down. His hand flexed and Danni realised that he was looking for her hand. That, perhaps in the past, she would have stepped forward and taken his hand in support. He was still looking for that reassurance, but Danni couldn't move. His passion, his words, his conviction in what he was saying was keeping her in her place and no matter how she willed herself forward her legs wouldn't move.

He clapped his hands together, rushing towards Bonnie. "Listen to me. Listen, I just, I just want you to think," he pleaded. "Do you know what thinking is? It's just a fancy word for changing your mind."

"I will not change my mind," Bonnie said forcefully.

"Then you will die stupid," the Doctor replied bluntly. "Alternatively, you could step away from that box, you can walk right out of that door and you could stand your revolution down."

"No!" she exclaimed. "I'm not stopping this, Doctor. I started it. I will not stop it. You think they'll let me go, after what I've done?"

Kate's head tilted as she realised that part of this was down to her. That the reason that they were so close to the destruction of a lot of innocent people was because Bonnie was scared of what would happen because of her, because of UNIT. It was a revelation she obviously didn't see coming.

"You're all the same, you screaming kids," the Doctor said with a chuckle of disbelief. "You know that? Look at me, I'm unforgivable. Well, here's the unforeseeable. I forgive you. After all you've done, _I forgive you._ "

His words made Danni stand up straight, something Osgood didn't miss. She had been listening intently to her husband try and convince the two warring races to step down and she knew that he was the best person for the job. She had been to war, but he had personally gone through what was happening in front of them. He'd been the one with the big button to press, the man who had thought there was no other way. At lot of terrible things had happened to her in her lifetime, but she'd never had anything that had rivalled his choice before.

Still, it wasn't his pleading that had made her sudden listen a lot closer than she thought possible, it was the small promise in his voice. He'd really, truly forgiven Bonnie for everything she had done and she'd tried to start a war against all of humanity.

Would he forgive her too?

The reason she hadn't been able to step in on his speech wasn't because it was better for him to talk. He'd always had the gift of the gab, after all, so it made sense that she'd reasoned it like that in her head. It was because, on some level, those words were being directed at her. At a scared woman who, even now, still couldn't get the feeling of being watched off her skin. Who had come to see the universe as something to fight not something to live in. The woman, his wife, his constant, had slowly become more and more like the woman who had captured her that she didn't know where she stood anymore. She was even fighting telling him everything. Everything in her mind had become a war, and she needed to get away from it.

She had hidden so much from him. So many secrets, so many things she had kept inside. Even just earlier she'd not told him about what she'd dreamt when she had been unconscious, she'd just kept it to herself. There had been the tavern with Me, her time on the run, her regeneration. All these secrets that she had kept to herself because she was sure he wouldn't forgive her. Bonnie had _just_ tried to start a war with humanity, Danni had a hundred or so years of badness. Could he really forgive that?

"Danni, are you okay?" Osgood whispered and Danni shook her head. She could feel the tears in her eyes. The Doctor was never going to forgive her for keeping her life secret from him. He was never going to forgive her for what she'd done.

She didn't cry, she just reached out and grabbed Osgood's hand and held it tightly. If he forgave Bonnie, then he'd forgive her too. And if he didn't… well, then at least she'd know. If the Doctor couldn't forgive her then no one could.

"You don't understand. You will never understand," Bonnie said, hurt.

"I don't understand?" he asked derisively. He looked around at Danni to see if she was just as offended by Bonnie's words as he was and saw her upset. It was both horrid and a relief to see. No matter what happened, she always felt _so_ much.

He turned back around, though, becoming more and more worked up. "Are you kidding? Me? Of course I understand. I mean, do you call this a war? This funny little thing? This is not a war! I fought in a bigger war than you will ever know. I did worse things than you could ever imagine." His voice sped up as he brought everything that made him want to stop this to the surface. "And when I close my eyes—" He turned to compose himself. He needed to be the strong one here. It always fell on his shoulders but if he could stop _one_ person fighting a war that didn't need to happen he would happily take the weight. "-I hear more screams than anyone could ever be able to count! And do you know what you do with all that pain? Shall I tell you where you put it? You hold it tight till it burns your hand, and you say this." He held his fist close and tight as he stared Bonnie down. " _No one else will ever have to live like this._ _No one else will have to feel this pain. Not on my watch!_ "

There was a moment of silence, then Kate slowly closed the lid of the red box and stepped away. The Doctor's shoulders sagged in relief and Danni's eyes stung with unshed tears.

"Thank you. Thank you," he whispered to Kate.

She hung her head, ashamed. "I'm sorry."

"I know. I know. Thank you," he replied just as softly before turning to Bonnie. Everything rested on her shoulders. "Well?"

Nothing happened. Bonnie's hand hovered over the button and she didn't move it away. She didn't lower it. She stood perfectly still and the time seemed to stretch forever. There was no sound, no one moved and it was unbearable.

Danni couldn't help it. She'd spent almost a century schooling her own emotions to stop Missy using them against her. She'd spent years on the run trying to stop anyone seeing how scared she was so they wouldn't have the advantage. The Doctor had slipped past every single wall she had in place with ease. The heartbreak in his voice, the pain, hurt her so much.

She whimpered, quickly pressing her lips together. Immediately both the Doctor and Bonnie looked back at her. In that moment there was no difference between her and the young ginger woman she had once been, crying because he also about to press a button that he really shouldn't have.

"It's empty, isn't it?" Bonnie spoke up quietly. "Both boxes. There's nothing in them. Just buttons."

"Of course," the Doctor replied, turning back to her. "And do you know how you know that? Because you've started to think like me."

Bonnie lowered her hand. "You wouldn't have put anything in the box that would have caused harm because it's her favourite colour," she reasoned. "You wouldn't want war to happen in her name. You wouldn't want war to happen in anyone's name."

And that hurt, because it was entirely correct. Danni knew that the Doctor had never been able to grasp that there were placing in the universe that trembled when they heard her name. For a while she had found it baffling as well, but now she didn't. It hurt so much because it was entirely correct, but entirely too late.

"It's hell, isn't it?" the Doctor replied knowingly. "No one should have to think like that. And no one will. Not on our watch." He smiled at her. "Gotcha."

"How can you be so sure?" Bonnie asked.

"Because you have a disadvantage, Zygella," the Doctor replied. "I know that face." Both she and Clara were very surprised by his words. He was sure Clara would have questions for him later. She always had questions.

"This is all very well, but we know the boxes are empty now," Kate pointed out. "We can't forget that."

"No, well, er," he shot her a sheepish smile, "you've said that the last fifteen times." He pulled out his sonic sunglasses, put them on and looked upwards. Kate's gaze followed just as he set them off and she and the two Zygons dropped to the ground.

Danni didn't even wait for him to turn around. The moment the tension was broken she rushed forward and chucked her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. He wrapped her up tightly, holding her just as tightly as she cried into him. He knew that this was big for her, but he was just glad that she felt safe enough with him to let it out. And, if he was honest, he was glad that even after everything she heard she still wanted to hug him. He had always been worried whenever the Time War was brought up that it would turn her away from him, but every time she proved herself so kind and forgiving.

But then she didn't stop crying. He expected a scolding for putting himself through that, or for the stupid American accent that he wasn't sure where he'd pulled it from. But she didn't. She just kept crying silently and he began slowly rocking her.

"Shh, it's okay," he promised. "Shh, I've got you. It's okay."

But Danni knew differently.

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni pulled Clara in for a hug that surprised the other woman, but one that was very highly welcomed. Clara wrapped her up in right back and the pair stood together for a moment, just happy to alive and safe.

Danni pulled back. "You did really well," she commented. "Definitely deserve a promotion."

"I think I deserve to run the team after what happened," Clara retorted. She glanced over at the Doctor, who was saying goodbye to the two Osgoods. Or, rather, the one Osgood who he was with and the other that was about to appear. She'd already been briefed on the new implementation of the ceasefire. She rather liked it. "Are you okay with me working for UNIT?" she asked.

Danni could have laughed. "Clara, for the briefest of moments I thought you were dead and I couldn't bear it," she explained. "I was ready to kill everyone and everything that came into my path. Bonnie wouldn't have needed the Osgood box because I would have gotten there first with something that would have actually worked and I would have done it gladly." Clara blinked, surprised at the casual mention of violence coming from her friend's mouth. "If you're happy then I am. If that is UNIT, then that's UNIT. Are you happy?"

Clara thought back over the day. How she'd been kidnapped, duplicated then held hostage inside her own head. She couldn't lie, she couldn't hide, and she'd had to use her own wits to not only survive but carry on the plan as normal. It had been terrifying, and exciting and absolutely amazing.

She smiled. "Yes," she admitted. "For the first time in a long time, yeah, I am."

"Then why would I care?" Danni replied. She reached out, taking both of her hands. "All I ask is that, to the best of your abilities, you keep safe. I am _not_ ready you lose you yet."

"Trust me, I'm not ready to die yet either," Clara promised. Danni didn't let go of her hands, but her face fell from the smile that had been on it to a more sombre look. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"I have a lot to tell you," Danni explained quietly. "A lot of bad things. I want to tell you everything, and I will," she glanced over her shoulder, "but I need to- the Doctor said he'd forgiven Bonnie. I need to see if it holds true for me too."

"Of course it will," Clara replied, trying not to scoff as Danni was obviously worried about it. "And you don't have to tell me anything."

"I want to," Danni replied quickly. "I just-I need to check first. I'm-I'm scared, Clara. Really scared."

And she was. That was obvious enough that this time Clara pulled her in for a hug before she'd even thought of doing it herself. "Don't be," Clara told her, keeping her voice kind so Danni knew she meant it. "He will forgive you, and I forgive you. There is nothing you can do that I wouldn't forgive."

" _Danielle!_ " the Doctor called over, impatient and not liking how much they were hugging. " _Time to go._ "

Danni giggled slightly despite herself and pulled away. "Love you, sweetie," she said sincerely. "Keep me updated if the end of the world comes again."

"We'll have cocktails," Clara retorted. She watched Danni walk off, slowly moving to join the two Osgoods to watch the TARDIS disappeared.

"What now, then?" she asked them both. They shared a look.

"Ice creams?" the Osgood dressed as Danni suggested.

The one dressed as the Doctor nodded. "Yes, ice creams," she agreed. "Then back to work."

"What's today?" Danni!Osgood asked.

"Oh, you know, same old, same old. Defending the Earth."

Clara rolled her eyes. "Are you two going to start finishing each other's sentences?" she asked. "Because we don't need that sort of thing at work. Keep it strictly professional, eh?"

"Oh, we will," Danni!Osgood replied cheekily. "When you stop oogling Danni at work."

"I-I wasn't oogling anyone!" Clara protested. One Osgood looked at the other.

"Of course she wasn't," she replied sarcastically.

"Very unprofessional," the other replied.

"Oh, stop it," Clara retorted. "It's not funny and you're not clever."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _So... not a lot changed in this chapter from the episode, that is true. It's much more of a setting up type of chapter. Next chapter is where it's all going to go down :D_

 _Quick life update - I'm off to London Film and Comic Con at the weekend (not to brag, but I'm meeting Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi). I'm going to go as Danni as it's cheap and cheerful and it's mainly for the photos. If you see a large ginger girl in a blue dress, black cardigan and wearing a vortex manipulator it's probably me and you should say hi if you're there :D :D_

 _Reviews :)_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Me too! I love his face at finding out her real name. Always makes me giggle XD Yep, Dream Crabs actually happened. Oh, wait til the next chapter. We're getting a LOT of Danni knowledge :D x_

 _ **bored411** \- Hehe glad you liked it!_

 _ **BlueFlame27** \- Thanks sweetie. I hope you liked this chapter too :)_


	37. The Talk

It was hard to act normal when you had such a large weight on your shoulders. Danni really was trying to not act like she had over a hundred years of secrets building up inside of her, but the moment they were off to their next destination she just shrunk completely into herself. This body had always prided itself in being able to contain her emotions well, but when it came to the Doctor she always came up surprisingly short. She knew the Doctor had already noticed the change in her, but it wasn't hard to as she sat down on the stairs leading up to the platform around the top of the console room, staring out and nibbling on her bottom lip.

"I hope you're not disappointed," the Doctor said, watching her closely as his voice alone seemed to make her jump. "I did ask her to join us, but she said no and then there were two of them and I realised it was probably for the best."

Her brows furrowed slightly. "Asked who what?"

"Osgood," he clarified. She still looked incredibly confused. "I asked her to come on the TARDIS."

"Oh!" she replied. That hadn't been what she was expected him to say at all. "Yeah, with her new sister and all that. Plus, it might have been a bit crowded. We haven't done the two companion thing since Amy and Rory."

That was very true. The Doctor had asked, not just because he actually was rather in awe of the Osgoods, but because he had thought that a companion would help Danni more than she realised it might. He was always told that he shouldn't travel alone but, sometimes, he truly believed that it extended to both of them.

"Perhaps they'll come when they're not busy saving the world," Danni continued. "It's a full-time job. We should know."

He nodded his agreement. "And no health insurance," he commented. "Perhaps we should complain?"

"Form a union?" she replied cheekily. "You, me and the two Osgoods?"

"We could get dental," he retorted. Danni chuckled slightly, but nothing more came from it. She was just nervous. True, the nerves were of her own creation, but she still felt them enough to cause her leg to bounce up and down on the stair below. There was a part of her that was telling her to change her mind, to just get up and run off to the shower or something. A large part of her that she had listened to on more than one occasion over the years. This body, especially, was much keener on hiding than confronting anything scary.

"Danielle," the Doctor started. "What did Miss Oswald say to you?"

Danni frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"You know I'm," he shifted slightly, "I'm not very good at this sort of thing. But you seem rather… well, more upset than I would have expected."

She couldn't help but smile slightly. "Your powers of perception are getting better," she praised. "Apparently my skills at hiding my emotions are getting worse." She shot him a look. "That's probably your fault too."

"I think I'm just getting better at reading you," he admitted. She didn't seem distressed over that fact, so he kept it in the win column for now. "How did she upset you?"

"Clara didn't upset me," she replied. "You've got to stop thinking she's trying to hurt me all the time."

"I think I have a very good reason for believing that," he retorted. She glared at him slightly but he could see there wasn't much anger behind it. Whatever was upsetting her was even getting in the way of anger at the little dig at Clara. "What's wrong?"

She pressed her lips together again, trying to build up the courage to do what she had decided to do and explain what she could to her husband. The man who was, currently, looking at her with more concern on his face than she was sure he was meant to show. He was doing that because he felt safe around her. Would he still feel that way after she'd explained what had made his speech ring so true to her?

She took a small, steady breath. She needed to get on with it. "Did you mean it?"

The Doctor wasn't sure what he had been expecting her to say. He knew, immediately, that she was talking about his speech to Bonnie. She had never liked hearing about his time in the Time War so the tears had been expected, but the intensity of them had been a bit more than he would have thought given this regeneration's want to keep her emotions to herself. But, as he had always promised her, he would answer any questions she had. After being so forgiving it was the least he could do.

He leant against the console top. "Which part?"

"Forgiving her," she clarified. "You-You said that after everything she'd done that you forgave her."

He nodded. "I do," he replied honestly. "Sometimes people just need forgiveness. Sometimes it doesn't matter off who, they just need to know it's possible. She was misguided and she needed help."

Danni still couldn't look him in the eye. His words, obviously, hadn't given her to comfort she had been looking for. "You know, I've never looked to you for forgiveness…" he started and her head snapped up, her brows furrowed.

"What?" she asked, thoroughly confused, which in turn confused him.

"You're worried," he told her. "About what I did in the Time War. That's why you want to know if I'd forgiven…" He trailed off again as he realised he had gotten it wrong. "You're looking for _my_ forgiveness," he breathed, completely surprised.

She looked away again. "I've done a lot of things," she started. "A lot of terrible things that I've not told you about, and I think… I think I should tell you."

He walked over to her, kneeling on the stairs in front of her. He shot her a soft smile so she knew that he was serious. She looked so worried and he wanted to reassure her. "You don't have to tell me anything," he promised her. "I know you, Danielle. That's all that matters."

"There's things I should tell you about what I've done," she insisted, looking almost insulted that he'd tried to get around it. She wanted to do this.

"Then tell me," he encouraged gently. Her resolve disappeared and she looked worried again.

"I'm scared," she admitted. "I-I'm scared because of what I need to tell you. And because, even now, even after everything…" She looked around. "If someone hears…"

He smiled as kindly as he could at her. "No one can hear you but me," he promised. "You know you can trust me. But, if you need to, check."

He felt her poke his mind with hers just for a moment before pulling back. Even then he could feel her fear. "Danni, if you don't feel up to it…"

"I don't," she interrupted. "But-But I don't think I ever will. I just…" She took in a shaky breath and his hearts ached at the weight she seemed to be carrying. "You wanted to know, didn't you? You-You said that you loved every new thing you learnt about me, but I don't think you'll love this."

He walked over to her, getting on his knees on the steps lower than she was sat. He smiled as he made room for himself between her legs. "Does it feel like you can't hold it in anymore?" he asked. "Like if you don't let it out now it's going to burst from you anyway?" She nodded. "Then I will listen and you never have to worry about me judging you."

She swallowed, but nodded. "I don't think you can keep that promise," she said softly.

"I know I can," he replied. "Tell me."

Her hearts were racing and she knew, deep down, that she was being overdramatic. She had so much to tell him and she knew that, even if he told her every single thing she had to tell him, she'd understand. They both had a soft spot for each other, it was what they did. It still was hard to see it the other way around.

"I-I'm just going to say things, then," she told him. "It might not be in order or anything. And-And there's so much we'd be here forever if I told you everything. How do I even decide? I don't- I'm just going to… you know…" She licked her lips. Her mouth felt so dry. "I know that you know about the man in the tavern. The one that Me saw."

He blinked, surprised. "I, er, I don't…" he started but the look she shot him said that he was as bad at lying to her as he'd always been. "She told me what she saw," he confirmed, a little reluctantly.

"She saw right," she replied. "I-I shot him. I killed him. He wanted something that I wasn't selling and so I killed him. But, I want to explain where that came from." She shifted again on the seat. She wanted to get up and pace, but she also didn't want to move. The energy bubbled but didn't go away. "Missy didn't like to take me out. She liked me contained because I was easier to deal with. I used to- I used to run away a lot and it pissed her off."

The Doctor couldn't help but smirk slightly. Her fight always made him so proud. "I wouldn't have expected anything less," he replied.

"Then, one day, she started to train me. Little things that I didn't notice at first. Getting me to react violently against the stories she used to put me through instead of worming my way out. You know, the way we normally do. She gave me a gun one day and told me we were going for a 'girls night out.' She was very insistent that I had it on me when I went out and, well, I just wanted to get out of the bedroom."

She fell silent for a moment, obviously still uncomfortable and worried. "Is that your gun?" he asked, prodding gently. She shook her head.

"No, she took it off me. I stole my gun from a prince. He was a dick, he didn't need another one. But-But that's another story. He tried to have my elbows removed. I mean, seriously? My _elbows_. What a dick."

She realised she was rambling and stopped herself. She was digressing. She needed to get back on track. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat down, but it stayed strong and hard. "The thing you have to understand is that… you always claim that I beat Missy. And I won the war, I did, but I'm not- I'm not a strong as you think I am. There were a lot of a battles that I loss. The man in the tavern was just one in many. She convinced me it was what I had to do. I was in danger, I had to get away. That lesson," she ran her hand over her face. "I _hate_ it," she stated suddenly, with so much conviction he didn't doubt her for a second. "I hate how long I believed that for. I hate the fact that, even now, it takes me a while to stop trying to justify stuff. I see it on your face when I'm not paying attention and the disappointment _kills_ me."

He let her pause again. He didn't apologise because he knew she'd just tell him to shut up, which was totally fair. This wasn't the part she was looking for forgiveness for. He knew a guilt speech, he'd given plenty in his time. She needed to get to the end.

"When we got back I was devastated. I hated myself. I'd just… I'd killed him just like that. Missy offered me comfort, she told me I'd done the right thing, that it was either his life or mine and I'd made the right choice." She hung her head, ashamed. "I took that comfort. I didn't want to be heartless, but I'd done it. I'd taken the gun that she'd given me, listened to every little piece of fear she'd battered into my head and I gave in. And I'd do it again."

"Eleven times," he replied, bringing it to the grand total of twelve she had mentioned to Me. She nodded, still not looking up, the weight of those deaths falling heavy on her.

He didn't really know what to say. On one hand the idea that Danni had done that, had taken lives just because she thought it was the right thing to do, was horrifying. And if he really believed that she thought that was the case then he knew he'd feel more anger and disgust. But even now, even as he was still learning all about her, he could tell. It was in her words and the way she stumbled as she tried to form her thoughts that said it was because her upset came from a genuine place. Danni's more calculated answers were where she was lying. When she had planned what she needed to say before she said it.

He grabbed her hand, holding it tightly. "What else?" he prompted gently.

She licked her lips, once again finding her mouth incredibly dry. "Missy wasn't nice to me," she continued. "She wasn't kind, or fair. She hurt me in _so_ many different ways. I could go into the details, but I don't want to. I don't want to relive it because it helps no one. Thinking about how she…" She paused, pressing her lips together and the anger rushed through her for a brief moment before she pushed it back. "Her using me isn't what we're talking about here. I need to tell you about the beach."

His brows furrowed slightly. "The beach?" he repeated confused. She spoke like it was something he should remember. A shared experience that he really couldn't place.

"Before, with Osgood?" she clarified. He nodded slowly, remembering the moment but he still didn't know what she actually meant at all. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened there – running for their lives wasn't exactly uncommon for them – and nothing happened at all that involved Missy. "You asked me if I was having a bad dream, which is Doctor code for 'Are you dreaming about Missy?'"

He blinked. "I have a code?" he asked, a little bewildered. Danni nodded.

"Oh, yeah, everyone does," she replied. "I just know yours better, that's all. You know mine very well."

He did, he realised. He knew when she was worried because she complained about cleanliness more than she would normally. When she was concerned about being heard by someone undesirable she pressed her lips together to stop herself talking without thinking first. And when she was really happy and comfortable she would smile. He'd seen it more and more.

"I guess I do," he agreed. "And you're right. I thought you might have been dreaming about Missy because you woke up disagreeing with someone."

She nodded slowly to herself. "I- I did do that," she agreed. "But I wasn't lying. I wasn't dreaming about Missy, and it wasn't a bad dream. I was dreaming about the Master."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed very slightly, for a moment, in confusion. "But they're the same person."

"No, they're not," she corrected. "Well, alright, I guess… They're only the same as you and Eleven or Twelve are. Which, alright, I guess is a lot the same but it's also different!" She sounded a little defensive as she rambled but seemed to catch herself. "Missy was horrid. She did everything out of some twisted version of 'love' for me, but she really did it because she could. Because I was there and she wanted me to be both subservient and defiant and the two contradicted themselves so much she had no idea what she wanted me to be. And so…"

She trailed off and the Doctor waited for a moment for her to continue. "'And so' what?" he asked.

"And so… I began to miss him," she finished quietly. "I missed the Master, I still miss him. It started with a thought, then another thought and before I knew it I was daydreaming about him and I didn't- I _don't_ want to stop."

"You weren't saying no to your dream, you were saying 'no' to me waking you up," the Doctor realised in a daze he didn't expect to find himself in. "You didn't want the dream interrupted."

"I was scared," she defended. "I was being touched and prodded and beaten and tricked into so much horrific stuff. I couldn't always think of you because she made it so it was near impossible at times. But she never stopped me thinking of her, and I could always think of him!"

"He was just as bad as she is!" the Doctor replied angrily. "Don't you remember what he did to you? How he tried to drive you mad just for him?"

"Of course I remember that!" she retorted. "But he was ill and his actions came from that. He wasn't like her. She chose to continue to be cruel, and she's _so_ much worse for it." She sighed. "I miss him, I always have done, I think," she finished. "I don't think that connection will ever go away. It's not good, or friendly, and it comes from a place of pain and abuse, but it's always there. And so, I dream about him. I was dreaming about him on the beach, not Missy."

The Doctor didn't reply for a moment as he processed this. He knew it was irrational, and anyone would berate him for getting his priorities all wrong, but this felt so much worse than her justification of 'protecting' herself. She was actively fighting against the brainwashing Missy had put her through to realise that trading lives wasn't the way. She was actively trying to undo all the damage Missy had forced upon her. But she wasn't fighting this. She wasn't fighting the Master and he still, after all this time, didn't understand _why_.

He wanted to point it out. He wanted to grab her shoulders and shake her until she saw the fact that everything the Master had done had worked on her. It had worked on him too, for so many years. They'd been best friends. He'd wanted to redeem the Master. When he'd found out that the Master had survived the Time War he'd been equally terrified and elated. The same thing had happened to his Danni and he'd missed it happening.

"Danielle," he sighed heavily. "Her cruelty came from him."

"Maybe," she agreed reluctantly. "But my cruelty came from her. Cruelty to beget cruelty," she quoted. "I was cruel too. I was angry and cruel in ways you don't know."

He didn't want to pout, but he also didn't like her using his words in an argument against him. Especially when he knew she was using them correctly. "You learnt, you remembered," he pressed. "You took your actions and saw them as wrong and have been trying to change them. You still care about the universe. The Master, not once, ever cared about anyone but himself. He killed and he maimed and he abused because he _could_. That's all it ever was."

"That's not true," she defended. "He fought for _me_. He got me out of Gallifrey. He never hit me. You _know_ there was more to him than that."

"One saved victim doesn't take away a lifetime of awful," the Doctor countered.

"I didn't say it did!" she retorted. "I'm not defending this, I'm explaining this. I had to cope somehow, Theta, _this_ is how I did it. The Master helped me through until I could get to you. Sometimes he helps me now. It's not real, it's not right, but it works. I'm not asking for your understanding. You wanted to know me. _This_ is me."

His anger dissipated slightly and he felt slightly ashamed. She was right. No one was perfect, _he_ certainly wasn't and it was unfair for him to try and paint her with such a brush. He couldn't help it. He looked at her and saw everything he wanted in someone he wanted to travel the universe with, someone he wanted to share his life with. He couldn't expect her to take his imperfections if he judged her on something he deemed the same.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "You're right. Your reasoning is your own."

"Thank you," she replied. "I'd really like for you to leave your judgements until the end. You know, like in class?"

"I'll try my best. I wasn't the best-behaved student," he pointed out.

"I know, I've seen you drive," Danni retorted.

"Oi!" he turned, sitting down on the stair next to her. "I'm sure I've warned you about making fun of my driving."

"And I'm sure you told me it was because piloting a TARDIS was hard," she replied. "Does that mean I'm just cleverer than you?"

"Oh, I've always maintained that," he said. "I am an idiot. I'm proud of my idiocy."

"Only you would be proud of being an idiot," she replied.

"Being an idiot means you have more to learn. It's the smarty pants that you have to worry about."

"That's very true," she agreed. "I met some smart arses in my time. All of them were just that; arses."

They fell back into the tense silence that had fallen over them when they'd first entered the TARDIS. There was so much that was still left unsaid, stuff that was bubbling under her surface but he didn't want to just command her to talk whenever a silence fell. He wanted her to feel safe to talk when _she_ wanted to.

Eventually, after what was probably only thirty seconds but felt like hours, she took another deep breath. "I did something," she told him. "Something pretty bad. Something worse than blowing up the mayor's office. I did something terrible." She took in a shaky breath. "I started a war, once."

"A war?" he repeated in a disbelieving tone.

She was actually a little annoyed. "Yes, a war," she snapped. "It's not hard to do once you work it out. Find a planet with tensions between two groups of people, spread some rumours, get people talking then blow up a president. I managed it in just under six months." She seemed to realise that she was bragging and she shrank back. "I read a lot," she explained. "I found a place where a war was destined to break out and I headed there. It was a few years into running from Missy and even longer since I'd been home and I…" Tears gathered in her eyes. "I remember looking at this button on a bomb I'd created, that _I'd_ made and thinking about how you'd hate me forever for doing it. I didn't care about the people I'd hurt or the president I was about to kill. All I knew was that I couldn't hear your voice anymore in my head and I needed to find a way home. I thought I'd be free once I'd got away from Missy, but I was still so trapped in my own head."

She was crying softly and she couldn't hold it back. "I regretted it the moment I did it. I knew that… I knew that if the Danni I'd been, _your_ Danni could see me she'd hate me. I knew pressing that button was the worst thing I could have done. It was the worst decision that I ever made and I've been hounded for it ever since. The Shadow Proclamation want my head for it. People are terrified because of what I've become."

Once again, her words were all thoughts he'd had before. When he'd fought in the Time War he'd done some terrible things and, even now, he remembered each and every one with utter clarity. He hadn't been lying to Zygella about hearing the screams of pain his actions had caused. And it wasn't just the Time War. He liked to think he was on the good side of history, but he knew he wasn't on the good side of _everyone's_ history. He knew that in a lot of people's stories he was the good guy but there was just as many where he was the bad guy. His name brought terror to people. He was the Oncoming Storm.

"I've done many terrible things," he told her. "Things I've never told you. My years in the Time War weren't innocent. I know we don't talk about it but you know the things I did were beyond redemption."

"Nothing you have ever done is beyond redemption," Danni retorted. "Fighting in a war and starting one are two very different things. You weren't the one to fire the first shot, you were just the one to fire the last."

"I still fired," he countered. "I could have stepped back, I could have thought for a moment. When it came down to it, there was a button and it was my choice to push it."

"But you didn't push the button!" Danni cried. "You never actually did it. I did! I didn't have a-a Clara or a Danni-Girl or whatever it was that convinced you to change your mind. I pressed the button. I started the war! I _was_ that person! I didn't know who was going to die! I just did it because I wanted to be heard. I could have been better, I could have done better. I could have shouted from the rooftops, I could have defaced a giant fucking cliffside like River did! How am I supposed to be better when I'm the worst I can be?"

"You are not the worst you can be," he promised. She opened her mouth to protest but a look from him kept her quiet. "I'm not going to justify your actions. You are better than that. You don't need my approval. You're right, there are a million different ways you could have handled that. You were the worst you could be at that moment, but the different between that any every other warmonger in the universe, the difference between you and _Missy_ ," her breath caught in her throat as he hit the nail on the head perfectly, "is that you _know_ that. You know that what you did was wrong, was evil, and you are stopping as many people as you can from doing it again. It may not be perfect, you may still be learning, but the fact that you're _trying_ makes you better." He reached out, cupping her cheek so his fingertips were in her hair. "And no matter what you do, you're _always_ my Danni. Brown hair, ginger hair, tall, short or anything in between. You're my Danni-Girl."

She sniffed. "I don't regret much," she told him. "I did some other rather… questionable things on my way to getting back here. I enjoyed being the outlaw, on the run, finding my way because I thought I was clever. On Trenzalore we had to make some tough choices and I'd make them all the same way again. Even with the Master- With Koschei I don't regret bargaining, I don't regret making people's lives a little easier no matter how long the consequences have lasted for. I regret every moment I was on Kurnipah. I regret every step, every action, and it came to nothing. I screamed into the universe and no one heard me, and everyone just died."

He didn't know how to comfort her, he didn't know how to process everything she was saying. He knew, whether to his detriment or not, that if anyone else had told him this he would be angry and disgusted. He knew that his own feelings and experiences were, perhaps, blinding him. Clara had only pushed a dream version of his wife into a dream version of a volcano and he'd been so angry that Missy had taken the real Danni with ease.

Part of the reason he'd never shared the Time War with Danielle as much as he probably would have done was because she had always offered his forgiveness and he needed that more than he'd needed her to know what he'd done, because she would have never understood because the Time War was so big and she was an innocent of that kind of world. She'd never, really, understand because no one ever could. It suddenly felt as if they had a shared experience and that relief of having to hold it in out of fear of driving her away was actually surprisingly nice.

"When I was looking for you I came across a young boy on a battlefield," the Doctor told her. "He was scared and crying and looking for a way to get away. That was something I never thought I'd turn away from until then." He leant back against the stairs. "I left him there. He was going to die and I didn't want to save him. His name was Davros," Danni blinked at him, surprised. "I left Davros to die because he was Davros and I was scared of saving him. I was tired, and out of hope and compassion and I left him to die." He turned his head. "Then you show up, dressed like a secret agent and save me. You didn't know me, or rather I didn't know you knew me. You broke into the Dalek home city and saved me and I couldn't work out why. You intrigued me from that moment, and that intrigue had been analysing every single thing until I worked out that I couldn't leave him there. I was better than that. And you know something?" She shook her head. "That's nothing new."

He brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You've always intrigued me. You turned up naked next to Charles Dickens and held my attention ever since. If you were screaming out into the universe, and I didn't hear you, then I should have been better too. I should have listened, I should have looked harder. My own self-hatred was what drove me to turn my back on a small boy, and it was what kept me from hearing my wife cry."

"None of what I did was your fault. It-It wasn't even Missy's, it was my own."

"As it was mine when I chose to leave a child to die," he agreed. "When I went into the depths of the universe and left people suffering because all I wanted was to find my wife. We know this and, now, we be better. Together."

She nodded slowly. "Together," she agreed. They shared a smile and he stood up, stretching slightly before stepping back down onto the platform. Danni couldn't help but watch his every moment. He never seemed to show his age, not really, and his compassion was always never-ending. She hadn't expected him to forgive her actions, she'd expected him to turn away and not even look at her. Instead he'd held her close and promised that, over time, they'd be better together. Danni and the Doctor. Danielle and Theta.

She smiled slightly.

He spun around sharply at the sound of his name leaving her lips. His proper name, his true name, one that he hadn't heard in so long it was surprising he'd even recognised it. Danni had a soft smile on her face and seemed a little amused at his surprise. "I haven't said that in over a hundred years," she whispered. "I couldn't… Not if she was listening." She sniffed, then hunched over, resting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. He quickly rushed back over to her side, wrapping her up in a hug.

"That's enough for today," he said as if he was telling her rather than suggesting, which was his intention. "We have a long time between us to tell each other everything we keep inside. Lifetime upon lifetimes together." He pulled back to look her in the face. "So no more crying, eh?"

"But there's something I need to tell you about what I'm still doing," she countered, but she gave her eyes a wipe. "There's something I've not told you on purpose. Something I didn't want to tell you because I was angry at you. But- But I want to tell you. I don't want to be angry anymore."

He didn't know what to say to help, because he didn't care what she'd done, but he was insanely curious. He knew that there wasn't anything he could tell him that would make him angry. But he understood the fear. He still remembered losing her out of the TARDIS door vividly, and with the universe treating her so poorly, then he understood her hesitation.

She took his silence as a prompt, taking a deep breath. "I've-I've been lying to you," she told him. "Well… Well, it's not a lie, it's just more… I've not corrected you. I mean, it's not been _wrong_ … I dunno, is not correcting someone a lie? I mean, people say a 'lie of omission', but is that _really_ a thing?"

"Danni," he said firmly, trying to hide his amusement at her rambling. "Just tell me. I won't get mad."

"I think you might," she whispered. "I think that, maybe, this might make you the maddest."

And she really believed that. He could see it in her face. She had admitted to dreaming about the man who'd abused her, about starting a war just because she could, but _this_ was the thing she was worried about the most.

He didn't have the words to reassure her. If it worried her that much then, maybe, it was a genuine concern. Maybe he really was going to get that mad. "I love you," he said instead. "More than anything in this universe."

She smiled softly, even if she didn't feel it fully. "When Missy killed me…" she started, the words catching in her throat. It felt so big, she wasn't sure if this was the best thing to do, but he was going to find out eventually. Even if it was long into the future because her past had already started to catch up to her. "When Missy killed me… When I regenerated into _this_ me, I wasn't the old me… What I mean is… The blonde me. The one she took… That wasn't my last body. There was another one."

The Doctor blinked. "Sorry?" he asked. "There was- She killed you twice?"

"Yes," she confirmed quietly. "There was- The first time, when I woke up on the bed after she took me happened. She didn't like my blonde hair because I looked like the Master, so she killed me then. The other time- Well," she looked down at her feet, "I escaped. It wasn't my first attempt, but it was the first time I was convinced I would make it. I did exactly what you told me to do and I went straight to Eleven. It was the day you forgot you saw me and River. I appeared for only a moment and you never saw me before she took me back. She said I was too feisty. She killed me for it. That-That was my punishment."

The Doctor leant back against the stairs, staring out into the console room without saying a word. She had died. She'd died twice. He'd not saved her from Missy _twice_. Missy had killed her twice.

His anger was actually so heavy and large that, for a moment, he didn't feel it. There was this pause where he suddenly realised why he felt like he'd missed so much. It wasn't just the time she'd spent away, there was a whole new experience he'd missed. A regeneration shaped so much and he'd felt like he couldn't place what had shaped her into the woman she was now. It was the missing regeneration. He'd missed an entire personality and everything that came with it.

Then the anger hit. He stood up, storming over to the console. He placed his hands on the top and hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut, taking in a deep breath to stop himself from flying completely off the handle. Someone had killed his wife. Someone had taken her life and had done it when he'd been powerless to stop it. He should have never let Missy go. He should have chased her through Skaro and made sure she never got to hurt anyone again. He should have wrapped his fingers around her neck, he shouldn't have let her out of his sight for even a moment…

"I'm sorry."

Her voice was weak, and timid and terrified and he turned around as quickly as he'd stood up. She looked so small on the stairs, so much younger than either of them actually was. She had said that it would make him the maddest, and she hadn't been wrong, but she thought that anger was aimed at her for keeping it to herself.

The anger fell away to grief. Danni had always known there were bodies of his that she'd never met. There were Doctors she never got to know. There were lives he'd lived that they'd never shared. That was the price you paid for not being the other person. She'd always grumbled, but it had been good-natured and there was nothing either of them could do to change it anyway so what was the point in being upset?

He'd just never expected it to happen the other way around. He'd met Danni in her first body and, until the moment he'd died, he was going to be with each and every one of them. And that had been taken from him, from _both_ of them. There was a whole Danni he'd never met. He had no idea what she looked like, or sounded like. He'd never kiss her, or hold her, or make love to her. He'd never get to take her hand when either of them was scared. He didn't know what her favourite drink was, or if she still liked musicals. Had she read a lot? Had she still loved horror movies?

And she thought that was all her fault. He could see it, feel it clearly. She thought Missy killing her was all her own fault. No wonder she looked to the Master for comfort, Missy had torn her apart.

He crouched back down in front of her. He took her face in his hands like he had always done. He wanted to tell her he didn't blame her, not for one moment. Nothing she could have done deserved that. He couldn't, though. All he could do was look her over, memorising every single detail of her face because that was all he had. He'd missed the last one, he wasn't going to forget a single part of her.

Danni swallowed. "Missy-Missy said…"

"It doesn't matter," he interrupted. He ran a hand back, feeling her brown hair fall through his fingers. "None of it matters."

Her brows furrowed and he felt the muscles move to show her confusion. "Yes, it does," she corrected. "I've done so much horrible stuff, and I've kept that from you. Aren't you mad?"

"Tell me about her," he replied instead. "Tell me all about her. Don't leave a bit out."

Danni blinked and he wondered if her eyelashes had been longer. She had quite faint ones now, ones that she liked to cover in mascara to make sure they were visible. Had the other Danni had thicker eyelashes, is that why she wanted them that way?

"I was ginger," she started small and he smiled. "I-I was tall, too. Really tall, actually. Tallest I've ever been."

"You've never been tall in any of your lives," he countered. "But continue."

She ignored the slight. "I had freckles, and I- Would you believe I could actually sing?" she asked. "Because I could. I'd kill to have that voice again. Honestly. I know people say they can, but I could really sing." She watched his face. The bitter-sweetness was almost overbearing, but he was listening to her every word like his life depended on it. He really wasn't angry with her. He just wanted to know her. "And she was Scottish."

His eyebrows shot up. "Scottish?" he repeated and she nodded. He let out a laugh of delight. "You know, you've told me that I sound Scottish on occasion. I wonder if you kept that idea in your head."

"You _are_ Scottish, Theta," she pointed out. "Just because you can't hear it doesn't mean the rest of the universe can't."

He shook his head, he still didn't believe her. "What else?" he asked.

She bit her lip, thinking for a moment. It was rather hard to explain how you used to be, doubly so when it was another regeneration. "Well, I guess, she was angry," she offered. "All the time. I used to pace an awful lot. Missy said I was like an animal in a cage, but I think she rather liked that." She saw the smile waiver on his face and she grimaced slightly. "Sorry, that wasn't the best… I used to really like flowers."

"Flowers?" he asked. "You mean bouquets, or growing them? What type? Or was it a colour thing?"

She couldn't help but smile slightly at his questions. After everything he'd learnt he just wanted to learn more. She took his hands off her face, holding them between you. "I loved you so much," she told him sincerely. "I knew that, no matter the hows and whys, you were always coming for me. We would always find each other and I threw it in her stupid Mary-Poppins face every chance I got. When she would hold me down and force me, I always knew it was temporary. When she tricked me into hurting people, I knew that you would know it wasn't me, not really. My old body knew her mind so much better than I do now. You would have _loved_ her so much, Theta. I did. I loved…" She trailed off suddenly, eyes wide as a realisation seemed to hit her square in the chest. "I liked her," she whispered. "I don't like me, but I liked her. I didn't want to let her go."

"Danni," he sighed. "You are my Danni-Girl. You always have been, you always will be. I know you're struggling but I can tell you right now that I love you, every you. The old you, the new you, the ones I've never met." He leant forward, resting his forehead on hers. He closed his eyes. "Until you can like yourself, I'll just do it for you."

She leant into his touch, but didn't say a word. They sat in silence for a few moments until he saw it. A flash of a ginger woman in his mind's eye that he had never met. A smiling woman in bright blue jeans and a white, loose-fitting top that reminded him of Earth in the 1960s. He laughed again but didn't open his eyes. She was beautiful.

Danni wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, it's okay," she whispered softly. "I'm so sorry, Theta. I'm so sorry." Her voice sounded strained, pained, like she was crying and he realised he'd started crying too. He chuckled again, then he started sobbing, wrapping her up as tightly as she held him as they mourned, together.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _I'm so worried about this chapter. It isn't how I envisioned in my head, but I can't seem to make it into that either. I think it's too rushed but adding anymore seemed like too much padding. I just... I dunno, I hope you all enjoy it :)_


	38. Family Chatter

_Warning!_

 _I'm going to put in a trigger warning here. There's talk surrounding sexual abuse in this chapter. Nothing graphic, but there's no plot progression in this chapter so if this is something that can be upsetting for you, don't read._

 _I've put the worst of it between bold scene breaks - **~0~0~0~** \- and any section all in italics is unrelated._

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Devon held her head down, keeping the blanket wrapped around her son as she quickly moved between buildings, looking for somewhere safe to hide. Around her there was screaming, and gunfire and her beautiful baby cried his fear out loud. She shushed him the best she could but she needed her breath to move, to keep moving, to get out of the warzone that she'd found herself in._

 _The small town she lived in had been taken over just days ago by fighting from both sides. She didn't want to be on a side, she didn't want to fight. She just wanted to go back to her house with her son and watch him learn to talk and walk and play like a little boy should. His life shouldn't be like this. He shouldn't have to cry so hard because he knew he was going to die._

 _She pressed herself up against a wall draped in shadows, taking gulps of air as quietly as she could. In her arms her baby still cried. She rocked him gently. "Calm down, little one," she soothed as best she could. "Mama's here. Mama's got you."_

 _There was an almighty bang as something exploded, shaking the floor and causing dust from the building she was hiding against the fall on her. She held onto her baby tightly, squeezing her eyes shut and hoping that his ears weren't ringing as much as hers were. "It's okay, I've got you little one," she promised. "I've always got you."_

" _You!" Her eyes shot open, her chest tightening. There were two armed soldiers in front of her, both with guns aimed at her and her son. She felt herself start to shake but it was hard to tell as the panic set in. "What have you got there?!"_

" _He's-It's just my son," she sobbed. "Please, let us go. We mean no harm. He's my son."_

" _What side are you on?" the other soldier demanded. "Do you fight against President Gradiance?" She just sobbed harder. "Do you?"_

" _I am on no-one's side!" she cried. "Please, I do not want to fight. Let us go."_

 _One soldier turned to the other. "Take the child," he commanded. "She is wearing purple. She is the resistance."_

 _She shook her head frantically as the other soldier stalked towards her. She held her son even closer, curling around him. "No, no, don't take my son!" she begged. "Don't take him! I'm not fighting! Don't take him!"_

 _There were two gunshots and she expected to feel herself fall to the ground. She didn't, though, so she looked up to see that the two soldiers were on the ground instead. Her son still cried but her eyes were wide and staring at the backlit figure just behind them both. The figure lowered their gun and rushed towards them._

 _The first thing Devon noticed were how kind this mysterious person's eyes were. She looked concerned, looking over Devon quickly. "Are you and your boy okay?" she asked._

" _Who-Who are you?" Devon asked timidly._

" _I'm here to help," the woman promised. "Your son, is he okay?"_

 _Devon hesitated a little longer, but checked under the blanket she held close. Her son was whimpering but he was not hurt and she nodded. "I-I think so," she replied._

 _The woman smiled. "That's good," she said gently. "What are you both doing out here?"_

" _I-I didn't know what was happening," Devon explained. "One minute I- One minute it was okay and then everyone was fighting and I just ran."_

 _The woman nodded along. "Hey, hey, it's okay," she said reassuringly. "You're scared, of course you're scared. Who wouldn't be scared? But look what you fear did for you? You protected yourself, you protected your son. You ran through a warzone trying to get him safe. Your fear did that. Your fear is what is going to keep you safe."_

" _How-How can fear keep you safe?" Devon asked, confused._

" _Fear gives you strength, it keeps you going," the woman replied. "There's an encampment on the outskirts of the town. We need to get you there as soon as possible."_

 _The woman looked up and down the street, gun held ready in her hand as she looked for a way out. Devon didn't know what to do. She couldn't stay where she was, especially if they were going to try and take her son off her. But she didn't know who this woman in front of her was, either._

 _But, either way, she couldn't stay where she was. "Who are you?" she asked._

" _We're going to head west," the woman replied, obviously dodging the question and making Devon feel even less confident in her decision to follow her. "It's the longer way around, but there is currently a skirmish going on in the town centre. If we go around it we should miss most of the soldiers."_

 _At the mention of the soldiers, she glanced down at the two lying on the floor. "Are-Are they…"_

 _The woman shook her head. "Stunned," she explained. "They should be out for about an hour. They'll be fine. Pissed, but fine."_

 _The woman set off, indicating that Devon should follow her. Devon, holding her son tightly, looked at the fallen soldiers one last time before following._

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor was watching Danni closely. He always did, it was something she had noticed right from the moment he'd met her. He'd watched her because he didn't know who she was, or what she was doing in his life. Then he'd watched her because he had been suspicious. Then he'd watched her because he had fallen in love with her and just couldn't help it. He'd watched her because he was concerned, or amused, or just because she was there and he thought her worth watching. He watched her when she thought the universe was much more interesting, but part of her rather liked it.

This time he was watching her because he was concerned. Her dump of information had broken them both for a little while. Danni had needed to accept and recuperate from allowing herself to talk and relive the past, and the Doctor had to recuperate from the knowledge of what his wife had been through. Even now as he watched her stand at the door of the TARDIS, trying to work out if she wanted to leave or not, he couldn't help but wonder what her third body would have been doing in the same situation. Would she hesitate? Would she storm out and demand to be seen? Would she have even wanted to come in the first place? Would she have suggested going somewhere more spectacular, or would this be exactly where she wanted to be?

He slowly made his way towards her, doing it in such a way as to not startle her. "Do you want to go somewhere else?" he asked her. "There's this star system I've always wanted to visit. The star light is tinted by the gas clouds around it."

"Sounds beautiful," she agreed with a nod. "But I made a promise. I mean _she_ made a promise."

" _You_ made a promise," the Doctor corrected. He now understood her frustration at him talking about his previous regenerations like they were different people. "They'll be as happy to see you as I always am." He pulled her up to his side. "There's probably a table full of cake and ice cream just waiting to be delved into."

"Jelly too?" she asked. "Like the party you planned for me in Leadworth?"

"Well, I'm sure mine was a lot better," he replied. "But it's a good comparison."

Danni let out a little chuckle. "Always have to be the best," she chided lightly. "What if they don't like me?"

"Then they're morons," he declared. "Come on, I probably shouldn't keep them waiting any longer either."

She frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked. He quickly ushered her out, which said a lot more than probably he wanted it to.

Danni looked up at the house, trying to see if she remembered anything about it at all. She had only been there a couple of times in the past and it had been so long ago she felt like she hadn't ever been to it. Inside the house was a happy boy waiting for his niece to turn up on his birthday and she felt terrible disappointing him.

They hadn't made halfway up the path when the front door was thrown open. Rory attempted to step out first, but Amy pushed her way past him with a face of fury. Both Time Lords froze in their step.

"Oh no," they breathed in unison, as if they were both expecting to be on the receiving end of the rant that Amy was about to unleash. They then both looked at each other, confused as to why the other was scared.

"Where have you been?" Amy hissed, storming right up to the Doctor, much to Danni's surprise. "You were _supposed_ to pick us up this morning. How dare you just drop us off and disappear without a word? We've been worried sick!"

Rory appeared at Amy's side, looking at Danni with a studying look. She shot him a nervous smile in reply and his eyes widened in comprehension. "Amy, just a minute…"

She turned to her husband, outraged that he was even interrupting her, let alone about to tell her to calm down. "He went gallivanting around the universe looking for _our_ daughter!" she shrieked before dropping her voice, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one had heard her. "I'm not letting him leave us behind with Danni as well," she finished, quieter this time.

Rory nodded. "I understand that," he replied. "But she's here."

Amy frowned, brows furrowing, before she turned to look at the Doctor and Danni. This time she didn't focus on the Doctor, who'd held all of her ire, but instead on the woman next to her. "Danni?" she asked, a little confused. Danni nodded.

"Hey, Grandma," she greeted. Amy blinked for a moment, as if taking in the fact that she was safe, but she had regenerated, but she wasn't missing anymore.

She turned on the Doctor. "You found her without us?" she snapped. " _Again?_ You can't just keep leaving us behind when it's important! We're her family!" She reached out, smacking him on the arm. He held it, alarmed at the attack, but Amy turned to Danni and pulled her in for a hug.

"Don't call me Grandma again," she warned Danni while holding her tightly. Danni looked to the Doctor with her eyes wide in panic at the sudden hug. He gave a small, encouraging look and she gingerly hugged Amy back.

"Sorry," she offered. Amy pulled back, holding her on each arm.

"You regenerated," she commented. Danni nodded.

"Yep," she replied with a pop. Amy nodded herself, her face thoughtful as she processed what she was seeing.

"Tony is going to _love_ that," Amy declared. "He's always asking Melody about how 'alien' she is. This is going to blow his mind." She began pushing Danni towards the house. "His party had already started. It's just him and about fifteen of his friends."

"Fifteen?" Danni repeated, nervous. She really wasn't very good with kids anymore. She'd hoped that they'd been late enough to miss it completely.

Rory and the Doctor watched their wives walk away. The Doctor cleared his throat. "I-er… I think I need to apologise," he said awkwardly.

"She's our granddaughter," Rory replied, voice firm. The Doctor still found Rory's anger more worrisome than Amy's because if he was displeased, you knew that you were in the wrong. "You don't just get to run away and leave us to wait again."

The Doctor nodded slowly. "Duly noted."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Devon wasn't sure if she was relieved that her son had stopped crying. She was so happy that he wasn't screaming in fear, but she was also incredibly concerned that he'd numbed himself to the experience. She did what she could to whisper reassurances to him, but he was so young she wasn't sure if he even understood the words coming from her mouth. Instead she focused on keeping him close, warm and hidden from as much of the destruction as she possibly could._

 _Her whole town had been destroyed. Where there had been parks and roads and places of work now stood piles of rubble, broken glass and destroyed possessions. The air didn't ring with the noise of everyday like, instead it was the sounds of gunshots and orders. The woman she was following had told her they were moving away from the fighting but the wind and the unnatural quiet of where they were made the sound travel to them as if it was just a few feet away._

" _What did you do before the fighting?" the woman asked in an obvious attempt to take her mind a little off their surroundings. Devon was very happy to fall into that illusion for a moment._

" _I used to be a vet," she explained. "Then I fell pregnant and I became a stay at home mother."_

" _A vet, eh?" the woman said, sounding rather impressed. "That must have been hard to give up."_

" _It was a tough decision," Devon admitted. "But my husband didn't want children and well…" She looked down at top of her son's covered head. "I couldn't afford child care while in work, so…"_

" _So your son came first, obviously," the woman finished for her. "Well, there are quite a few pets at the encampment, so I'm sure they'd welcome any help they could get if you feel up to lending a hand."_

 _Devon nodded. "Of course," she replied. "We all must help where we can in times of true trouble. Everyday life has gone out of the window." The woman nodded but didn't reply, taking a moment to check their surroundings to make sure it was safe to continue. "What about you?" Devon asked her curiously. "Do you have any kids?"_

 _The woman snorted, like it was a stupid question. "No, not me," she replied a little bitterly. "Me and my husband, we're not… compatible." Devon felt a little horrid about asking as it was obviously a sore subject for her. The woman stopped and turned to her. "Not that it matters," she continued. "I would not be a good mother."_

" _What-what makes you say that?" Devon asked._

 _The woman paused, taking the time to deliberate over her answer. "Well, look at me," she eventually offered. "I'm running around in the middle of a warzone with no real care, stumbling upon people and offering to take them to safety instead of heading back myself. That wouldn't change if I had a kid with me or not. No child deserves a parent who would rather leave them behind than look after them."_

 _Devon felt a little sorry for her. She'd obviously tried to justify that to herself long ago. "That's-That's not what you're doing, though. You saved me and my son without a thought. You're being a hero."_

 _The woman shook her head. "See, that's why it would never work," she replied. "I'm not here to be a hero. I'm here for the adventure. I like the danger and you can't be like that and look after someone else." She motioned for Devon to follow her. "I'm much better on my own."_

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni stepped into the house slowly. Amy was telling her about that the party wasn't a real party, rather just a gathering of preteen boys who were running around playing and shouting. There wasn't much entertainment, and there was a table laid out with food that she could help herself to. Basically, she was being the perfect host. Danni appreciated it, but also looked towards the source of all the loud noises and yelling with trepidation. She had made the promise to come to the party but that had been back when she knew how to handle one. Now she felt like she could take on Davros again and come out better than stepping out into the back garden.

"Is River coming?" she asked, stalling for time.

"She was until we told her about the actual party," Amy replied as she led the rather terrified Time Lord into the kitchen. Danni looked through the window and out to the children but made no move to go outside. Amy stood by her. "They get along, really," she explained. "But Mels never did have time for other people and River's just the same. If you're not in her small circle she just doesn't have time for you."

Danni nodded slowly. "Some things do trickle through regeneration to regeneration," she offered. "Not a lot, but some things do stay the same. The things that matter never change. River loves her family more than anything in the universe."

"That's why I know it's nothing against Tony that she's not here," Amy said in agreement. "It's everyone else she has the problem with." She nudged Danni. "You head outside. I'm going to go fetch the boys then we can finally get onto the cake."

That did perk Danni up slightly. "Cake?" she repeated.

"It's in the shape of a stack of pancakes," Amy explained. "Honestly, since you were here last it's all he wants to eat. He's absolutely obsessed with you."

"Well, I am amazing, it's no surprise really," Danni offered modestly. "If I wasn't me I'd probably be obsessed to."

Amy rolled her eyes, seeing her words as the arrogance of all the Time Lords she knew. The Doctor, who had followed Rory in before Amy even had the chance to go find them, heard it as a defensive mechanism for just how much she didn't like herself.

And Tony, who had rushed in at the sight of a new person in the window, thought of them as completely true once he learnt that Danni was, in fact, Danni.

 _ **~0~0~0~**_

Rory had noticed that Danni hadn't come down in a while. While the Doctor had been discussing with Amy the best way to organise the seating arrangements – which, by all accounts, was the worst idea the Doctor had ever had – Danni had nipped upstairs and had never come back down again. So, being the dutiful husband, father and grandfather, he had headed up to see if she'd gotten lost on the way back from the bathroom.

He found her in hallway, looking at their wall of photographs. Some from their life in New York, some from their life before on the TARDIS. Danni had brought them a few and they had been very grateful. River had also brought a few and he thought it best to not ask how she'd managed to get hold of them.

Danni was stood in front of one from her wedding to the current Doctor downstairs, head tilted slightly, like she was examining it.

"Amy was really annoyed that she wasn't invited to that," Rory told her. She seemed to start slightly but didn't turn around. He stood next to her. "You might want to invite her if you do it again."

"It had been a very spur of the moment thing," she explained. "But I'll remember that for next time."

They didn't speak for a few moments, moments that seemed to hang long and heavy in the air. "What's wrong?" he asked Danni. "I mean, apart from being fawned over by a bunch of preteens and having to eat Amy's cooking. Which _has_ gotten better, I have to admit."

She let out a small, hollow laugh. "I'm not sure that those pigs in blankets were actually cooked," she replied. "I think you could have put them together and made a fully functioning pig."

"Still not as bad as her fish," he pointed out. "You can tell me. If you want to, anyway. You probably want to talk to the Doctor more, really."

She shook her head. "No, I don't-I don't think this is a thing for him to know," she said softly. "And I can't really tell you, either, cause you're my grandad."

He suddenly thought about how that used to mean that she was talking about her sex life, which he never liked to hear about, even back before they knew they were related. Still, though, he couldn't look at that conflicted look on her face and not want to make it better.

"What? Nah, I can be-You can talk to me about anything," he said, trying to be cool and failing miserably. Danni looked him up and down, slightly amused before she turned back to the picture.

"Alright," she said, calling his bluff. "I've regenerated twice since I last saw you." She looked at him. "Not by choice. Well, no one ever _chooses_ to die and regenerate, I mean not seeing you. That's Missy's fault." She looked back at the picture. "Well, I was just looking at her on there. With her happy smile and her blonde hair. She looks like her life is amazing."

Rory looked at the woman in the picture. He smiled fondly to himself. She wasn't wrong. The Danni getting married looked extremely happy. "Yeah, she does," he agreed. "Was it?"

Danni nodded. "Incredible," she confirmed. "But I don't see that. All I can see is that I've regenerated three times, and she's the only body I've ever had who only ever had sex because she wanted to."

Rory's head snapped to the side and he stared, surprised and a little horrified. Danni didn't stop looking at her old self. "She only had sex when she wanted to and with who she wanted to have it with. No one was ever there to trick her, or to force her. It was just her and her husband and he wasn't a lie, or a mind trick, or a woman in a purple dress." She reached out, stroking the picture with her fingertip. "She was loved by who she loved and that was it. One out of four." She looked at Rory. "It's just not good odds, is it, Gramps?" she asked and her voice broke.

Rory didn't know what to say. He had never wanted to think about Danni in that sort of way _at all_. He'd always been a bit shy when it came to any other woman but Amy in that regard, and even then she'd not seen how much he'd loved her for a long time. He knew the Master had treated Danni poorly but because no one had been able to talk about it, he'd just settled on it being physical abuse and nothing else. A million different awful thoughts went through his mind and he didn't want an answer to any of them. He couldn't comfort her because he could never understand anything that had been done to her. He could barely remember any of his time guarding Amy anymore but he knew that he'd never been captured and tortured. How could he offer words of comfort when he couldn't even _think_ about what had happened?

The easy thing about Time Lords was that, unless they were in front of you, it was easy to not think about their lives. It was easy to act like they didn't exist in those moments in between visits. But they did, and she existed, and she was his _granddaughter_ and she was hurting.

"Come here," he whispered, wrapping her up. She hugged him tightly and he held her back just as much. "You are so much more than that, Danni. Don't let her make you forget how amazing you are."

"You have to say that," Danni whimpered into his shoulder.

"I would have said it when I wasn't your grandad," he promised. Rory's heart broke for his friend and granddaughter, who he could only hold onto tightly. "You're safe," he promised, even if he wasn't sure himself. "You're here and you're safe."

He held her as she cried, shaking in his arms. He went through his own set of emotions, from anger, to defeat, to desperation over the fact that there was nothing he could do at all. He hated himself for it, but more than anything he hated Missy.

 _ **~0~0~0~**_

 _The sun was starting to set. They can't have been moving for too long, however with the pauses they had to make and the danger they had to hide from, Devon was becoming increasingly concerned about making it out of the city by nightfall._

" _Don't worry, we'll make it," the woman – who still wouldn't tell Devon her name – reassured. Or, at least, tried to reassure her. Devon didn't find anything particularly reassuring anymore. Her son still hadn't made much noise against her but she still held him close and she could feel his tiny hands holding onto her tightly. It was the drive to get him to safety that kept her going._

" _Are you sure we're going to right way?" Devon asked yet again. It wasn't that she wasn't sure if the woman knew where she was going, she just found the constant reminders helped._

" _Honestly, it's not far now," the woman repeated yet again. "How's your son doing?"_

 _Devon glanced down at his little head. She'd lowered the blanket to give him some air. "He'll be happier when I can give him a proper feed," she replied._

" _I think we'll all feel better with some food in us," the woman agreed._

 _Devon almost walked into her as she came to a sudden stop. She raised her gun, looking ahead of her. "Who's there?" she called firmly. "We're not here to fight! This doesn't need to come down to violence."_

 _Devon had to squash down a squeak of terror as a deep chuckle came from seemingly nowhere. "Isn't that what you're always here for?" the voice that accompanied it replied. From behind one of the houses they'd been walking past came figure. They were wearing bright purple, one that did match the wrap that Devon was wearing and she suddenly understood why the soldiers had come for her. But unlike Devon they were holding a rather large, rather threatening weapon that made her shrink behind her chaperone._

" _I am helping this woman get to the encampment on the edge of town," the woman continued, speaking calmly but authoritatively. "She has a child. We are not here to fight. Let us past."_

" _Does she know who you are?" the man asked. "Does she know who she is entrusting her child's safety with?"_

 _The woman lined her gun up. "Let us past," she commanded. "I don't want to shoot but I will."_

 _The man chuckled again. "You don't want to shoot?" he repeated mockingly. He looked past her to Devon. "Do you know who she is?" he asked. "She's not here to help you. She's not here to help anyone."_

" _Alright, I've had enough," the woman snapped. "On the count to three I'm going to shoot you. Either your going to be stunned, or you're going to die and I don't really care which because you are getting on my nerves. Leave us alone."_

" _She's not on our side," the man continued as the woman slowly began to count. "She's not on anyone's side. She started this whole thing." He waved his hand around to illustrate the surrounding area. "She started the war!" He jabbed at her. "She's the Time Child!"_

" _Three!"_

 _The woman shot him, one shot to the chest and he dropped to the floor without another word. Devon's eyes widened in horror, not at the sight she'd just witnessed but at the information she'd just learnt. She turned to the woman, who was taking a steady breath before meeting her gaze. "Look, I can explain…"_

 _Devon took a step backwards. "No," she said, her voice wavering in fright. "Stay away from us. You're-You're the Time Child!"_

 _ **~0~0~0~**_

They moved to the floor, both leaning against the wall, facing away from the photos of her wedding and at the other side of the hallway, where there were still a lot of photos for Danni to lose herself in.

Danni wiped her eyes. "I don't really have anyone to talk to about this," she stated. "Clara will just say whatever will make me feel better. Amy will shout at everyone. River will tell me that the Doctor's opinion doesn't matter and Jack will just get angry at the Doctor. You're all I've got left, and so I'm just going to have to ask you."

Rory shrugged next to her. "I'm very good at being talked at," he replied. "I'll try to answer if I can." She giggled slightly.

"Yeah, I always thought Amy was better at one-sided conversations," she said. "It was easier to let her talk and she was happier for it." She took a deep breath. "I'm going to stand up and do something that may seem strange."

Rory watched her get up. "You're my granddaughter. You look my age. Your mother is my daughter, who I grew up with, who I named after herself. I was born twenty-odd years in the future and everyone I know has, at some point, travelled in time. Nothing you can do is odd at this point."

Danni paused, stood rather close to the other wall. "Yeah, alright," she agreed. She then began pressing on the wall with her fingertips, feeling it solid in front of her. She reached around, fingers spread, testing the strength. "When I was with Missy, she would lock me in this virtual world she had created," she explained. "It was a large data slice that she'd converted into an afterlife of sorts for humanity—"

Rory blinked slightly then nodded. "Of course," he interjected, because nothing surprised him anymore.

"-Whenever I came to the realisation that I was locked away, I knew there was a door nearby. There was always a way out." She did a large sweep over the wall before stepping back. "I don't check really, anymore. But, sometimes…"

"Sometimes you're still afraid you're locked away," Rory finished for her and she nodded. She moved back, satisfied that she was safe and in the real world. She didn't speak for a few moments and Rory didn't push her.

"Remember when the Silence took Amy and did whatever they did to stop her reproducing?" she asked suddenly. Even now, even after all these years, it still hurt Rory to think of the pain his wife had gone through.

"Yes," he replied, a little shortly.

"Did you feel it?" she asked. "When you and Amy… You know, had sex… Was it something you could feel?"

He paused, brows furrowing as he thought on her question. Then, he shook his head. "I wouldn't say so," he replied. "I mean, there were moments day to day when I would remember, but nothing changed…" He looked rather uncomfortable. He wasn't a prude, but the 1950's hadn't done anything for his shyness in that regard. "She was just Amy."

Danni nodded slowly. "I think the Doctor can tell," she admitted. "We've not stopped. I mean, you know that we were always rather active in that regard."

"I do, unfortunately," Rory muttered.

"I mean, we've always had great sex," she continued like it wasn't her grandfather she was talking to, and like he wasn't sitting there trying desperately not to cover his ears so he didn't have to listen to it anymore. "But I think, sometimes, he can feel it, you know? Like all that abuse, all that…" This time her heavy breath was incredibly shaky. "Like every time Missy touched me, it left a little bit in me and when he touches me, he can feel it too. He never stops and he never like, you know, seems to have second thoughts or anything. But I think he does, somewhere inside himself. He knows I'm marked by what they did."

Rory shifted, turning to his side. She was staring blankly at the wall ahead, her eyes shining. "You know that's not true, don't you?" he asked her as gently as he could. "You're not defined by their actions."

She nodded. "I mean, of course I do," she replied. "I know that if anyone came to me with those feelings my first thought would be 'no, you're not'. If you sat me down with someone I would do everything in my power to reassure them that, no matter what, there is nothing there. That whoever had done that to them were the ones that were marked, who were wrong. There's no way that you can physically _feel_ them. Missy didn't _rearrange_ my insides or-or brand me or anything. It's ridiculous."

"Doesn't stop it, though, does it?" Rory asked softly. Danni shook her head. "Do you feel like, when he looks at you, he sees it too?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes," she admitted. "I think-I _know_ I see it more than he does, though. I know that it's all in my head, not his. But there are times when he looks over at me, maybe when I'm not being myself, you know? And he looks and he thinks that it's because of that." She looked down at her hands. "I don't know. I don't think he means to." She shook her head. "No, I know he doesn't mean to do it. If he knew that I thought this way he'd do everything he can to try and change my mind."

"Doesn't that just prove that you've nothing to fear?" Rory asked, not accusing her but hoping that he could spur on her own realisation.

"You would think so," Danni replied. "You would think that, knowing that the Doctor doesn't feel that way, I wouldn't worry. But I do. I worry that he doesn't feel me anymore. I worry that he just feels Missy."

Rory didn't have any answers. How could he possibly answer that? He knew what he believed but, as she had already argued, it didn't matter. Irrational thoughts were just that; irrational. He could never take away what had happened to her but he wanted to. He wanted to be the grandfather he always thought he was going to be with his grandkids. He wanted to be seen as this unbreakable figure like he'd seen his own grandfather before he'd died. He wanted to have all the answers, but Danni knew so much more than he did. She was the one who'd been through it all, not him.

He leant back against the wall. "If you asked him what would he say?" he asked.

"That I'm wrong," she replied almost instantly. "That he couldn't- No, he _does_ care about what happened to me. But not in the sense that it puts him off, just in the sense that he wishes he could have stopped it. He'd tell me that all he feels and all he sees is me."

"Would you believe him?"

"I believe that's what he thinks," she offered. "I don't know if I can believe it's true. I don't know if it will ever be true. I just…" She sniffed again. "I just don't want it to be a bad thing," she whispered. "I don't want what we have to be tainted by Missy, but it's always going to be. I'm always going to be the woman who was-who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by Missy."

"No, you're not," he promised. She let out a laugh of derision. "Hey, you're not. You may find it difficult to believe but you're so much more than that. What happened to you was…" Rory paused for a moment. "I mean, I can't describe it, let alone understand it. I've been trained on how to deal with assault victims, but to be honest I'm drawing a blank because it's you. I'm not proud, but I can't offer you that help. I just know that when I look at you, it's not the first thing I see."

Instead of the anger or hurt he expected, she smiled softly at him. "I know," she replied softly. "I appreciate you sitting with me and listening to me. I appreciate that you're not telling me I'm wrong to think like this. I appreciate…" She trailed off and the crying started up again. "I don't know what to do. What do I do?"

Rory pulled her in for a hug, holding her tight as just letting her cry on him. He wanted to cry as well. Instead he held strong. "You know," he started, clearing his throat to get rid of the roughness that came with holding his emotions back. "The thing I think about first, before anything else, is you riding on the back of a dinosaur. It wasn't even the strangest thing I ever saw you do, but I always remember that first."

Danni giggled. "Ah, Tricey. I remember that," she said fondly. She sat up straight. "I might get the Doctor to take me back to see him. I hope they thrived."

Ending a conversation about something so deeply painful was strange. It was almost if they hadn't been talking about it at all yet it hung in the air like smoke. Rory stood up. "I'm going to get the Doctor," he told her. "You can tell him or not, that is up to you. But I have a son downstairs who will be much too high off sugar and I'm going to have to do some controlling."

Danni nodded and watched him go. She was so grateful that she could go back and see her family. Rory and Amy weren't locked away forever in another universe. She couldn't help, though, but wonder what her mum and dad would think of what had become of her. It wasn't just physically, she had changed _so_ much in the time since she'd left them behind. The problem was, as came with the thought every time she had it, was that she couldn't remember them enough to even imagine their reactions.

The Doctor appeared and paused for a moment. She watched him look over her, then the hallway, then back at her again as he worked out what was going on. She knew he saw her tears but also that she wasn't crying anymore. She knew he spotted the old pictures of both of them over the walls.

She wasn't surprised when sat down on the floor next to her, taking Rory's spot. "I have just spent the last half an hour telling a bunch of young lads about your adventures," he told her. "Not once did they want to hear anything about me. And they kept complaining about my accent. I don't even have an accent."

"You're Scottish," she told him. "I don't know how many times I can keep telling you that."

"I used to be the Time Lord everyone wanted to meet," he continued. "Remember little Amelia Pond? Now it's all about you." He sighed heavily. "I don't know why it took the universe so long to catch on," he said, like he was really annoyed that no one else had been able to see it but him.

"I've had enough of the universe's attention, thank you," she retorted. "You want it, you can have it."

He looked almost disgusted. "I don't want it," he replied firmly. "You know how much trouble it gets me into?"

"Yes, I do," she said, amused. "I'm normally there with you."

"Exactly!" He nodded, resting his arms on his knees. "You're always in trouble. Well, what I mean is—"

"I know what you mean," she promised. "We're both as bad as each other, in our own ways." He nodded. They fell into silence, both just staring at the wall in front of them. "You know, I really don't get kids anymore," she told him. "I used to be great with kids. They used to love me. Now they just ask me questions and I freeze. How am I supposed to know what's appropriate? I've not been a kid in over a thousand years!"

"I find it better to just not talk down to them," the Doctor started before he frowned. "Parents seem to get a little annoyed, though, when—"

"She'll never let me go," Danni interrupted, the thought bursting out of her like she just couldn't hold it in anymore. "She's always coming for me, and I can't stop her!"

 _ **~0~0~0~**_

 _Danni didn't know what to do. She'd seen the look that was being shot her way a hundred times before but, like every other time, she still didn't know how to handle it. The look of fear, and of anger, was something she had never had to experience until she'd escaped from Missy and it was starting to come thick and fast now whenever someone found out who she was._

 _She quickly put her gun away, holding her hands up so the woman could see that she wasn't going to hurt her. "My name is Danni Fielding," she said softly. "I—"_

" _I know who you are," the woman replied sharply, holding her son closer, turning slightly so she could protect him. "You're the reason the war even started."_

 _Danni quickly shook her head. "No, no, that's not what happened," she insisted desperately. "I just blew up a few buildings. I never thought that anyone would get hurt!"_

" _No one just 'blows up a few buildings'," Devon retorted. "All this destruction, all this death, it's all you!"_

" _No, please, you have to understand," Danni begged, taking a step closer to her. "I was just trying to find my husband. I didn't mean for any of this! I just…" She held her hand out. "If you come with me, I can get you safe."_

 _Devon moved away from her. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she bit out. "You're a monster."_

 _Danni's hearts broke, her chest tightened and her panic began to choke her. "I'm-I'm not," she pleaded. "Please, you have to understand. If-If you stay out here they won't spare you. I-I can get you and your son to safety." She stepped closer again. "Please…"_

 _Devon tightened her grip on her son. "Stay away from my son," she snarled. "I'd rather take my chances out here then go anywhere with you. You've destroyed this planet! You've destroyed my home!" She looked around, trying to ignore the man on the floor. "We are safer without you."_

" _Please," Danni begged as Devon started to walk away. "I wasn't trying to start a war! I was just trying to get home."_

 _Devon paused and turned around. Danni was stood there, tears in her eyes and shaking from being found out. But Devon didn't care. She found her pain almost disgusting. She didn't care what had happened to the planet or the people on it. She just cared about how she had been found out._

" _I hope you never do," Devon stated. "I hope you never find your husband and that you never find peace, because all you have done is cause wars. I hope you are never free from the pain you caused, Time Child."_

 _Danni cried as Devon disappeared down a side street but she made no move to follow her. She was right. Danni might not have meant for anyone to get hurt, but she'd caused all of this for her own selfish gain. She'd caused death and destruction no matter where she went. She was as dangerous as everyone said she was. And she knew that Devon was almost as good as dead if she didn't follow and protect her, but she still didn't go after her._

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor didn't reply straight away. He felt his eyes blinking rapidly as he was suddenly hit in the face with the blurt of words that came from his wife's mouth. He hadn't been expecting it. He'd expected, perhaps, a calm if not sad summary of what she'd been talking to Rory about. Or a complete denial anything had been talked about at all and a suggestion they head back downstairs to the festivities. He hadn't expected her to want to keep the conversation going because she found it so draining when she opened herself up, even for a moment.

But the words stuck in his head. Not because of the implication, but because of the order. The tone of her voice. The exact order with that exact infliction to her voice. It all felt very familiar.

It turned out that Danni didn't need him to reply. "It doesn't matter if we never see her again. It doesn't matter if she's alive or dead," she rambled, her voice raising as she seemed to start panicking. "She's in everything I do. Everywhere I go she might be there, everyone I talk to might just be her in disguise. She might regenerate again and I wouldn't know because I don't know her faces after the one who took me. Everyone looks at me and she's there. Every breathe I take is just one closer to that possible time she could come around the corner and I can't keep trying to go on as if she's not. I can't, I can't…"

The Doctor pushed the conundrum of her words to the side for a moment to catch her in his arms. She shook violently, grabbing at her hair like she was moments away from ripping her brain right out of her head. He didn't know if it was the right thing to do in the moment or whether she'd feel suffocated, but she didn't try and break from his grasp so he kept her close.

"Danielle," he said with a heavy sigh. He looked up the ceiling, desperately looking for an answer that he knew he wouldn't find. He placed a kiss on her head. "You can't expect to be alright," he told her. "You were with her for decades. For more than decades. You survived more than most people could ever. You're so strong, my Danni-Girl, but you're still just a person. You've only been home for a _fraction_ of that time."

"I don't want her in my head," she almost shrieked. "But she's never going to leave."

"She will," he promised. "It's not going to happen straight away. It just takes times, but look how much better you're doing." He shifted her slightly. "You are exactly where you need to be right now, Danielle. It's just not where you want to be. I think we're both just going to need to come to terms with that."

Danni sniffed, pulling back and away to look up at him. "Both of us?" she asked.

"I'm not innocent in this," he explained. "I've been trying to get you back to how we used to live and, maybe, neither of us are ready for that yet. I—" He looked down the hallway. "I don't know if you've noticed," he told her lowly, as if he was afraid of anyone hearing him admit anything out loud. "I've not been very good with you not in my direct line of sight."

Danni tried not to smile slightly at the thought. "I did have an inkling," she replied. "I'm surprised you left me up here with Rory for so long."

"You can blame Pond for that," he said a little grumpily. "She wouldn't let me leave. She said the Roman was handling it." He looked at his wife, who was obviously not okay. "I'm not sure of the validity of her claim."

"Rory did well," she protested. "You leave my Gramps alone."

The Doctor paused for a moment. "Do you think people will stop calling me your grandfather if we show them Rory?" he asked. "I'm getting quite tired of it."

Danni gave him a quick look over. "Not unless you regenerate younger or I regenerate older," she replied bluntly. "Or, you know, one of us changes along the traditional gender binary. I could always be your grandson next time around."

"You're not allowed to regenerate," he told her firmly, as if she had any say in it at all. "You're already too many ahead. You have to let me catch up first."

"You sound like a child," she told him. She could already feel herself calm down. Even though there was a little voice in her head telling her that Missy hadn't won this part of her life – the teasing, the talk, even the _banter_ – she did actually feel better. The Doctor did have this remarkable ability to return the calm to everything he touched. It was why everyone was always affected so profoundly by having him in their lives. She was no different. In fact, in some ways, she was sure she felt it more than the rest of the universe.

"I'm not okay, am I?" she asked him softly. "I'm not going to be okay."

"You _are_ going to be okay," he corrected. "It's not going to happen overnight, or over a few months, or maybe even a few years. You'll not notice it happening. You'll just be just going about your business, refilling the magnatite on one of the klister values on the TARDIS yet again because it's leaking but she won't let you replace it, and you'll realise that not only have you not thought about it that day, but you've not thought about it in a few and the guilt at not spending that time being upset isn't there. You'll just be…" He shrugged. "You'll just be okay."

She looked up at him. "That's oddly specific," she said suspiciously.

"That's how it happened for me," he explained. "I'd just taken you and Amy to see the Shining Oval of Descent. You had decided that you needed to waste more time sleeping so I had to find something to do. I was just thinking about how you could have jumped away any second and I was just stood there arguing with the TARDIS and I realised that I wasn't feeling weighed down. I wasn't thinking about how I needed, there and then, to make up for my actions. The Time War will always be part of me, it's my past, but it had stopped defining me so much. My friends, my family," he looked down at her, "the people who saw past it were the ones who made me who I had become. One day you will realise that Missy does not define you too."

"I really hope so," Danni replied.

"I know so," he promised.

"I just- I don't know if I can believe that," she said. "I mean, this isn't anything that's ever happened to me before. I mean…" She looked up at the walls, at the many pictures that Amy had covered the hallway wall in. She spotted one of her first body. She wasn't even sure where Amy had gotten that from. "Look at her," she told him. "Nothing ever happened to her. She breezed through life with the arrogance of someone who'd only live to eighty, ninety tops. And-And her," she motioned to one of her second body. "She was happy _all_ of the time. She just spent her time with her husband and her friends, seeing the universe, saving people. She didn't have a care in the world because everything was just so… _nice_. How am I supposed to get back to that again?"

The Doctor rested back against the wall, looking at all of the pictures of his wife over her lives. Each one was stunning. "You know what I see?" he asked her. "I see a woman who was torn from her universe and forced to jump along someone else's timeline. I see a woman who was driven insane by an alien species she didn't think should even exist. A woman who was used and abused by an evil man and still saw the good in him 'til the end. And her?" He motioned to her blonde self. "She was happy, and kind, and she loved her family and pretty much anyone she met. But she fought in a war where everyone eventually died. Her husband, the love her life, the person she trusted more than anything died after breaking that trust and stealing centuries from her. The man he became rejected her, pushed her away, and she refused to let him. She wasn't kidnapped, or tortured, but her hearts were broken and she refused to let anyone but herself win that. They were both fighters." He turned to look at her. "And the one who followed? The one I never met? She fought as well. And you can do it again because if there is _one_ thing I know about you, Danielle, it is that you won't let anyone win when it comes to your happiness. You won't let Missy beat you. You're much too stubborn for that."

Danni laughed. She laughed, then she cried. He pulled her close. "And if you're not ready to face your family then we'll come back another day," he finished. "And if you want to go downstairs to spend time with them, then we'll do that too."

"What about you?" she asked. "You're trying to get me out the other side. I want that for both of us."

"Oh, I'm getting there," he told her. "I found out a long time ago that helping others is where I find my peace. You helped me find who I was after I regenerated. Now I get to do that for you."

 _~0~0~0~_

Amy was worried about Danni, but she was doing her best not to show it. When Rory had reappeared but Danni hadn't followed she'd ambushed her husband, demanding to know what was going on. Rory understood her concern but did his best to reassure her, explaining quietly so the kids didn't hear that Danni was having a hard time being around people who had known her before she had regenerated and to give her time.

Amy had started to insist that maybe having the party was a bad idea. If they'd explained to Tony what was wrong then he'd understand and they could throw the party a different day, when Danni felt up to it. Rory had quickly dismissed that idea, saying that if they needed to the Time Lords could sneak off and they'd explain it to Tony after the fact.

Still, Amy felt a small sense of relief when the Doctor and Danni came down and into the kitchen. Danni looked a little exhausted but didn't protest when Amy rushed over to her. In fact, to Danni, she'd never seemed so grandmotherly before.

"Do you want a drink?" she asked. "Or, if you want to leave, you can. I didn't even think that this might be a bit overwhelming."

"I'm fine," Danni replied. "I'll go back outside—" she glanced out of the window, "-in a minute. I just need to catch my breath."

Amy shot her a kind smile. "I'll make you a cup of tea," she declared, making sure that Danni knew she didn't have a choice. "No sugar, right?"

"Actually, it's one now," she corrected with a little apology in her voice. Amy nodded to herself.

"One sugar. Right. I'll remember that," she muttered to herself. The conflicting feeling of being cared for and not quite feeling like she deserved it was making Danni's stomach a little queasy.

She did her best to try not to look out of the window at all of the children playing. She also tried her best to not look back at the exits. She tried not to look around and look for Missy, and she tried not to let her husband know how overwhelmed she was becoming. She did _want_ to be overwhelmed and she knew that, part of feeling better, was making herself stay when she wanted to run. She knew that, in hindsight, she would be glad she did.

Didn't make it easier in the moment, though.

"Danielle…" the Doctor started, obviously sensing the discomfort she was trying to hide. He didn't get much further, though, when the door was flung open and startled them all.

Tony frowned as he looked between the adults. He could, immediately, tell something was wrong. "Is everything okay?" he asked slowly.

Rory clapped his hand on his shoulder. "Everything's fine," he replied a little too quickly. "Come on, we'll get the goals set up." He tried to move his son, but he seemed more concerned with what was happening in the kitchen. He wasn't stupid. He'd noticed Danni disappearing, then his dad, and then the Doctor. Something had happened and he scanned them all closely, looking for the answer.

His gaze fell on Danni, where he got that answer. He felt a little guilty as he stepped forward. "You can leave, if you want," he told her, much to everyone's surprise. "I know you're feeling a bit sad. You can come back another time and dad can make us pancakes."

Danni looked to her husband, looking a little startled before turning back to the young lad. "What-What makes you say I'm sad?" she asked, trying to act anything but.

"Well, you regenerated," he said like it that simple. Her brows furrowed slightly. "To regenerate you have to die," he elaborated. "That can't have been much fun."

The Doctor, Amy and Rory quickly looked to Danni, wondering how she was going to answer him. The Doctor imagined that it was going to be a rather blunt about it, and Amy and Rory hoped she wasn't _too_ blunt with it.

Danni, on the other hand, was running through all of the answers she could give about it. She could sugar-coat it and tell him not to worry, or she could go into the details of how she had died in the first place. There was a spectrum of answers she could give and how was she supposed to know the correct one for a child?

He seemed smart, though, so she didn't want to talk down to him. How old was he again? Eleven? Twelve?

She smiled softly. "It fucking sucked," she admitted bluntly. Both Amy and Rory winced. "I wouldn't recommend it."

Tony didn't seem fazed by her swearing, which made Amy wonder what exactly he'd been learning at school, and nodded his agreement. "I wouldn't want to die," he said. "We're going to play soccer. You can join us if you want. Do you know how to play?"

Danni blinked a couple of times, wondering when the last time she had played _any_ sport was. "I genuinely have no idea," she offered. Tony nodded towards the back yard.

"It's easy enough," he replied. "You've just got to score the most goals. I can show you, if you like?"

Danni nodded, following him out. "Is it in zero-grav?" she asked. "I think I played it in zero-grav, once. I didn't care for it. There was too much floating about."

Amy and Rory were both stunned to watch her disappear out into the back yard with their son. The Doctor wasn't, though, and looked a little baffled at their confusion. "She's always curious," he offered. "Doesn't mean she'll actually be any good, though." He quickly followed her out, letting the door shut behind them.

"Rory?" Amy asked. "Will she be alright?"

Rory could only offer her an arm wrapped around the waist and a quick hug. "I have to believe she will be," he replied. "Until then we'll just have to wait and see."


	39. An Unexpected Trip

"Why can't I go?" Tony demanded. "You were going to go with the Doctor when you were seven!"

"Yes, but I didn't," Amy countered. "And it would have been a terrible idea that I'm sure the Doctor and Danni would have realised when the Doctor had come back." She looked at the Doctor. "Right?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't have taken you," the Doctor drawled. "But I can't speak for that idiot."

"Don't speak about my husband like that," Danni chided lightly. "He was an idiot but he wouldn't have taken a seven-year-old with him. He just needed to realise that's how old she was. Plus, there's no way I would have let him mess up the time line like that."

"Maybe in _my_ time line I'm supposed to go travelling when I'm twelve," Tony shot back, a grin on his face as he realised he had an _amazing_ argument.

"No one is supposed to travel in the TARDIS when they're twelve," Danni replied, dashing his hopes. "When you don't need a permission slip you can come."

Tony was absolutely besotted with the TARDIS. The console room alone was enough to cause his mouth to fall open as he'd stepped in. His mom and dad had told him stories of their time travelling around the universe, but _seeing_ it with his own eyes was just completely different to imagining it. The TARDIS was _so much better_ than anything he'd made up in his mind.

But, as always, the adults didn't want him to have any fun at all.

He whizzed around the console, not touching anything but also stopping to look at every control that caught his eye. "It's only one trip," he tried. "Nowhere dangerous at all. Just to the future."

"Not a chance," Amy said firmly.

"I just want to see where you grew up!" he exclaimed, reaching out to pull a lever that was just calling out to him. Danni batted his hand away before he could.

"Leadworth was boring," Danni told him. "Its greatest feature was that it had a duck pond. If we were going to take you to the future it'd be somewhere much better than that."

"Danni!" Amy exclaimed.

" _But_ we're not taking you," Danni finished, shooting Amy a look that said the red-head should really have known better. "Not until you're older, anyway."

Tony stopped on the far side of the console, looking at all the adults that were looking down at him, trying to get him to pay attention to what they were saying. "It's not fair!" he cried. "All my family is spread right across the universe and I just want to spend time with them all!"

"That's what we're doing now," Rory pointed out patiently. "They come when they can."

Tony almost screamed in frustration. Much like other pre-teens, his parents _never_ listened to him. They always thought they knew what was best, but that didn't mean he didn't know at all. He was relatively clever, and he had thought this over again and again.

"It's not fair!" he shouted, slamming his hands down on the console out of anger. The TARDIS shuddered as she was sent into flight but Tony didn't notice. He just turned and ran into the hallway, deeper into the TARDIS and away from all of the adults.

Amy and Rory both grabbed onto the railing that lined the walkway to the door whilst the Doctor and Danni grabbed onto the console itself as the TARDIS flew through the vortex.

" _Doctor!"_ Amy cried in panic.

"Oh, I'd forgotten that sound," the Doctor remarked. "Amelia Pond; angry. I can't say I'd missed it."

"Oi, Raggedy Man," Amy snapped. "I'm not too old to give you a slap!"

"What's going on?" Rory asked the Time Lords. "What did he do?"

"He just set us into flight," Danni explained, pulling the monitor over to herself. "He hit random but we weren't ready for the trip so there's no one actually driving but the TARDIS."

"We can't fly away! We can't go anywhere!" Amy quickly exclaimed. "Take us back right now!"

The TARDIS came to a shuddering halt. The Doctor quickly tried to do exactly what Amy had instructed, doing everything perfectly to reverse what Tony had done. Nothing happened and he frowned before trying again.

"What's wrong?" Danni asked, watching the screen flicker but gave her nothing but the view of the landscape outside. The lights on the console had dimmed and the rotor was almost completely dark. "She's not happy."

"Not happy?" Amy repeated. "What do you mean? Can't you just fly us back?"

"If I could, you'd already be home by now," the Doctor retorted. "There's something outside stopping her from taking off. She really doesn't want to leave."

Danni took a step back, looking up and down the console with a thoughtful frown on her face. It had been a while since the TARDIS had just decided to not take flight anymore. There had been times when she hadn't wanted to land – like under the ocean with the ghosts - but just refusing to move was quite unusual for her.

"Is it her not wanting to leave, or something stopping her from taking off?" she asked the Doctor. "There's nothing much outside except sand."

"Like a beach?" Amy asked before realising that she sounded rather intrigued and cleared her throat. "Not that it matters."

"It looked like a desert, anyway," Danni offered to her. "You could sunbathe, but you might just burn to a crisp."

"Can we actually get back home, though?" Rory asked, getting them all back on track.

"Short answer; no," the Doctor replied. He was looking up at the time rotor, eyebrows furrowed. "She's not happy at all. We're going to have to go find out what's going on."

"Alright." Rory nodded. "We'll wait here and you two go investigate."

"That's a terrible idea," Danni replied bluntly.

"Why?"

"Because all that is out there is sand and heat," she said. "Why bother going out when the TARDIS will probably take off in a few minutes anyway? I'll go find Tony then we'll try again."

"Why are you going to go find him?" Amy asked.

Danni smirked. "Because he likes me the best," she declared smugly. She didn't look back as she headed into the hallway. "I'll be back in five minutes. Best. Niece. Ever!"

The Doctor watched her go with a fond smile before turning to his old companions. "This must be quite exciting for you, considering," he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amy retorted.

"Well, you know…" the Doctor said pointedly. Amy put her hands on her hips, waiting for his reply. "Oh, don't make me say it!"

"No, go on, say it," she challenged. "Tell us about our dull, ordinary lives compared to your exciting, danger-filled, amazing lives!"

"You've just found your granddaughter after she was taken away by a megalomaniac who wanted to keep her as a pet. Is that not exciting enough for you?" the Doctor retorted. "I wasn't going to call your lives boring."

"Oh." Amy deflated slightly. "What were you going to say?"

"I was going to say it must be exciting considering your age," he replied. Rory did feel a little bit of offense, but obviously not as much as his wife.

"I am _not_ old!" Amy protested. "And I'm nowhere near as old as you, Raggedy Man!"

"Old's relative," the Doctor offered simply. "For a Time Lord I'm in the prime of my life. You're both… well, you're not spring chickens anymore, are you?"

"Not spring…" Amy spluttered before turning to Rory. "Are you listening to this?" she asked.

"We're not exactly in our twenties anymore, though, are we?" he pointed out. Amy looked outraged and he realised he really should have thought before he spoke. "That's not a bad thing, though, is it? I mean, we have a family now. That's pretty amazing."

"That's true," Amy begrudgingly admitted.

"And just because we're going grey, or getting more wrinkles, or putting on a bit of weight…"

Amy's gaze shot to him again. " _Excuse me_?"

Rory's eyes widened. He'd been trying to reassure her, but he should have known to keep his mouth shut before opening it. This was like Manhatten all over again. Telling her she had lines when she'd obviously been rather self-concious about it. That move had gotten them trapped back in time. Who knew what would happen now.

 _Knock knock._

"Ah, did you—" he motioned to the door. "Someone should get that. I should get that."

"Rory, don't open…" the Doctor started, rushing towards the other man. There hadn't been anyone out there when Danni had checked, and that really wasn't long ago enough to justify a passerby just trying their luck. Whoever it was had decended _pretty_ quick and that was never a good thing.

But it was too late. Rory opened the door. "Hey, can I… _ah!"_ A hand shot in, grabbing him and pulling him out of the TARDIS. Amy and the Doctor shared a look of alarm before rushing over and out.

Stood there was a group of about ten people, all in silver outfits and all of them armed. There was one guard at the front and, judging by the eyes that were visible through the visor they were wearing, they were _not_ happy.

The Doctor realised that they were being chucked into the middle of the adventure that Amy and Rory were trying to avoid. He shut the TARDIS door behind him and grinned at the group. "Hello, there," he greeted. "Have we crashed your fancy dress party?"

 _~0~0~0~_

Tony wasn't exactly sure where he was, but he didn't particularly care. No one ever listened to him. They always told him he was too young, or that he didn't know what he was talking about. He didn't understand why they were all against him. He wasn't just a kid. He was Amy and Rory's kid. Amy and Rory, who had travelled in the stars, who had seen all those wonderful things that they were denying him. It was unfair!

He caught himself scuffing the toes of his shoes against the floor and forced himself to stop. He reminded himself of the cartoons that were at the back of newspapers. Hands in his pockets, looking at the ground, like the pouty child that his family seemed to think he was. He wasn't some dumb kid. He wanted to _try_.

He couldn't stop himself glancing into the rooms he walked past, though. He didn't recognise some of the technology in them but the library looked pretty cool, and there was a whole room full of comic books that he'd definitely have a look in when he wasn't so annoyed at everything. Perhaps he could borrow a few Captain America issues. He'd read some of the older ones and couldn't understand why they'd stop producing it.

Eventually, though, he got tired of even being annoyed. He stopped and sat down in the hallway. Someone would find him soon enough, probably to tell him off, but why should he make it easy for them?

He didn't even look up when Danni came across him. She'd been walking the halls for a little while, the TARDIS taking through a twisting path, she guessed because Tony needed some time for himself.

She walked up to him. "What's with the sad face?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he muttered to himself. She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, very convincing. You've just sat down in a hallway on your own because you're so happy," she retorted. He didn't say anything and she sighed, sitting down next to me. "Talk to me," she instructed. "Maybe I can help."

"No one understands," he muttered despondently. "I just wanted to go out with my family. I can't do that. Every part of my family is off in the universe somewhere and I just want to travel with them."

"I do understand, actually," she replied. He scoffed and she shot him a look. "Really?" She looked out across the hallway. She'd been sat on the floor a lot recently, she realised. "When I was your age I was living in another universe."

He tried not to look intrigued, but he was. "You were?"

She nodded. "Oh yeah. I had a mum and a dad, and they owned a caravan and we'd go whenever they were bored. We used to visit all of these seaside towns and I'd sit on stony beaches all day and just watch people go by." She smiled sadly to herself. "I loved those holidays. But, then, I was pulled back here and they just stopped. One minute I was with a family who I could visit whenever I liked, and the next I was jumping around the Doctor's timeline." She sighed. "I'd give anything to be able to go in that stupid caravan again."

"But you have a time machine. You can visit us whenever you like!" he pointed out.

"Yeah, but my mum's in one part of the time line and my dad is in the other and heaven forbid I get them in the same room together," she retorted. "My granddad and grandma are hundreds of years younger than me. My uncle is twelve. Lord knows how many siblings I may have out in the cosmos. I can visit you whenever I like, but it's such a _big_ affair. I can't just drop in for tea and biscuits, can I? Every time I turn up it's such a big deal because, being who we are, we're kinda a big deal."

"I wouldn't mind you just dropping in," Tony offered.

"Yeah?" she countered. "And tell me; did you plan a birthday party around me being there?" He looked a little sheepish. "Me and the Doctor, we've become so much… so much more than we ever wanted to be. We can't just drop in because dropping in means everyone else has to stop."

"Not with anyone?" he asked, frowning. "Not even one person?"

Danni paused for a moment, thinking over her friends and her family. A small smile appeared on her face as she thought on Clara, who wouldn't ever make a big deal about her turning up unless she felt Danni needed that. They never had to do anything. They could just sit there and watch TV, or she'd let Danni fix up the furniture that had been assembled incorrectly. There was no fanfare. There was no having to promise to be back soon, or waiting for the inevitable when she would be late and when she returned everyone was dead.

"Just one," she admitted. "It's hard, having a family like we have."

"It is," he agreed. "How do you do it?"

He was looking at her with wide, hopeful eyes, like she had all the answers he needed. Unfortunately, she shrugged. "I don't, really," she replied. "I guess I just… Every time I see them is one more than I'm expecting, so I just take it as the blessing it is."

Tony didn't reply straight away. "That's really lame," he said. She barked out a laugh.

"Very lame," she agreed. "But, hey," she nudged him, "at least we're not alone in the lameness, eh?" She stood up. "Come on. Let's get you back to your parents."

He stood up, finally feeling like he was being listened to. "I'm your uncle," he reminded. "I should be telling you what to do, not the other way around."

"I'm a thousand years old. No one tells me what to do," she retorted. He looked at her as they walked back towards the console room. She looked rather cool in her outfit, even if it seemed rather different to what he was used to seeing anyone dressed in. He was sure it was futuristic, even if it seemed strange. He could see no one telling her what to do. Melody was the same. He hoped he could be like that when he was older.

"Danni?" he asked. "How did you die?"

She stuttered in her step. "Why?" she asked.

"Was it why mom and dad disappeared this morning?"

She looked down at him. "You noticed that?" she asked, surprised.

He nodded. "They're not very good at hiding things," he explained. "It's how I always know what my birthday presents are going to be. Did they go to see you before you died?"

"No," she replied. "I don't know if I should tell you."

"Why not?" he asked. "I should know, shouldn't I? You're family."

"That's true. But what happened to me…" She glanced down the hallway. "What happened to me wasn't nice—"

"Of course not. You died."

"- _and_ I don't know if Amy and Rory would want you to know that," she finished, talking over him. "I know you're going to hate hearing it, but I think it's a story for when you're older."

He didn't argue, which surprised her. He just looked at her with a calculating look on his face. "Would you tell me?" he asked. "If mom and dad weren't here."

She stopped in her step, turning to look at him with every intention of telling him it didn't matter what she thought because Amy and Rory _were_ there. Instead her mouth opened and closed a couple of times.

"I think you're too clever to be treated so stupidly," she replied. He grinned happily. "But I'm not so good with kids this time around. And what happened to me was dark. Really dark, and I'm not sure how old a kid has to be to hear about it. I think, overall, you may be better not knowing."

He didn't look best please with his answer, which she assumed meant she'd just lost her 'cool older niece' status she may have had. His brows furrowed, though, instead of the rant she'd been expecting. "Can I ask one question, then?" he tried. "I just want to know something."

She pursed her lips together, wondering if she should be frustrated or not at him pushing it. "Alright," she muttered. "I'm not promising to answer, though."

He nodded, agreeing to her terms. "When you died, were you alone?"

She blinked, surprised into silence. She had been expecting some sort of 'how', 'where', or 'why' question. She'd found a few people in the past had asked the Doctor how it felt, so she'd thought it would have been on that line of inquiry.

How did she even answer that? Missy _had_ been there, after all she had been the one who'd killed her. So, no, she hadn't been alone. But the Doctor hadn't been there. River and Jack hadn't been there. Clara hadn't been there.

She swallowed hard. "Yes," she said softly. Tony surprised her yet again by chucking his arms around her and hugging her tightly. She froze, arms by her sides as tears suddenly stung her eyes. His comfort was, it would seem, very much needed by her.

She cleared her throat, patting him a couple of times on the back before breaking away. "We need to find your parents," she reminded. "They're probably worried we've gotten lost."

"You can't get lost in here. It's your home," Tony pointed out.

"The TARDIS is infinite. If she wanted us to get lost, she could do it without much effort at all." Danni looked up at the ceiling. "Luckily she loves me, so that's never happened before. She's much too good to me."

Tony watched as she spoke directly to the ship and, in reply, the lights all flashed as if it was replying. "That's amazing," he said. "I love this place."

Danni chuckled. "Everyone loves the TARDIS," she said.

The console room appeared very quickly, once again down to the TARDIS being incredibly helpful. There really was a bonus to having a home whose walls could change to help. What was surprising, though, was how empty the room was. The Doctor, Amy and Rory had disappeared.

"Where's my mom and dad?" Tony asked, just as confused as she was.

"I don't know," she replied. "Maybe they went looking for you." She walked over to the console, ready to do a quick sweep of the TARDIS, looking for any other life signals. "Why does no one realise I'm fantastic enough on my own?" she grumbled.

"I don't know. You are," Tony said matter-of-factly. "Maybe we took too long?"

Danni shot him a look that told him she was very much insulted by the thought. She then frowned at the results from the scan. "They're not here," she declared.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they're not on the TARDIS," she clarified. She tried to run the scan again. "Where are they?" she muttered to herself. "Come on, sweetie, give me a clue."

The scan started running again, progress bar and Gallifreyan symbols telling her that the TARDIS was doing as she asked. Then, the screen flickered and a feed from the console room appeared. All three were still stood around and Danni looked over her shoulder, looking for the angle.

Tony moved to the console, placing his hands on it and pressing upwards as if he was getting a better view. "Is that in here?"

Danni nodded, looking back over to the screen, then over her shoulder again. "Yeah. The Doctor's stood where I am," she told him. She looked back at the screen a final time. The video played silently and Danni quickly scouted the console top. "I don't have any headphones," she said. "I can't hear what they're saying without them, sweetie. Can't you forward it onto the speakers, or something?"

The TARDIS didn't need to. As Rory opened the door and was pulled through from the other side it became pretty clear that whoever was on the other side took the trio. The video ended then began to loop around. Danni pointed at Tony. "Stay _right_ there," she warned him. She headed to the door and opened it up but saw nothing but sand. She cursed to herself then closed the door. "They must have been taken straight after I went looking for you," she reasoned. "There's nothing out there."

Tony looked alarmed and she really couldn't blame him. "What do we do?" he exclaimed. "Who took them? Are they dead?!"

"I very much doubt it," Danni retorted. "If they were going to kill them they'd have done it here. Whoever it was took them because they want them alive."

That didn't settle Tony much, but Danni was too busy trying to figure out what to do next. It would be foolish to just follow blindly after them, but what choice did she have? She pulled out her phone and tried to call the Doctor, but it rang out and she hung up before his rather blunt voicemail message had finished.

She stared at the video, watching the Doctor, Amy and Rory being taken away again. She pursed her lips together. Tony watched her, expecting something smart to come out of her mouth, but nothing came. She just looked deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked before his hope spiked. "Are you trying to think of a plan to save them?"

Danni shook her head slowly. "No," she replied. "I'm weighing up the pros and cons to taking you with me instead of leaving you in the TARDIS."

Tony's eyes lit up excitedly. "You mean, you'd take me on an adventure?"

"I'm not saying that," she replied. "I _might_ be saying that. The TARDIS is a lot safer. If you go wandering back through the hallways we'll be back before you even make it to the game room. No one's getting in. The TARDIS is the safest place in the universe."

She looked over the twelve-year-old. He had the biggest grin on his face, hope in his eyes and he was hopping from foot to foot. Leaving him behind probably was the best idea.

Danni sighed. "Fine. You don't leave my side and you don't wander off, understand?"

Tony looked rather surprised. "You're actually going to take me?" he asked as if he didn't quite believe what he heard.

"Yeah, well, I'm not an idiot," she replied. "You'll do as you're told for a little while before you'll follow me out. I'd rather be able to keep an eye on you."

Tony nodded along. "I would do that, yes," he agreed.

Danni turned to him, walking closer, giving him a look of warning. "But I mean it, Tony," she told him firmly. "You can't leave my side unless I expressly tell you to, okay? It really _is_ dangerous out there. People we've travelled with don't always come back. Not everyone can be saved. I need you to do as I say."

He crossed over his heart. "Mom and dad have told me stories. I know it can be dangerous, but I'll be good," he promised her. She accepted it with a nod before walking over to the railings, picking up her coat. She checked her pockets for both her gun and her sonic screwdriver. With a nod of her head she motioned him over. "Come on then," she said and he jogged over to her side. "Let's go find them."

She stepped out first, but didn't move too far from the front door. She looked around. It was windier than she was expecting, but it wasn't too windy to blow sand over the footprints on the ground. She followed the track with her eyes as it went over a large sand hill and down the other side.

Tony let the door shut behind him and immediately started squinting. "It's a lot brighter than it looked on the screen," he commented. Danni didn't even look down with him as she rummaged through her pocket, pulling out a pair of sunglasses and handing them to him. He took them, surprised. "Are these sonic too?" he asked excitedly.

"No, only the Doctor can pull that off," she replied. "I got them from a marketplace on…" She frowned. "On where?" she mused to herself. "I remember it being very green." She shrugged. "I can't remember. I needed them for something, anyway."

"Are your pockets bigger on the inside?" Tony asked as he slipped them on.

"No, I just carry essentials with me," she said. "Although, I might see if I can do that. Seems like a good idea. This way." She started walking across the footprints, heading towards one of the surrounding sand dunes. "Be prepared for a long walk."

Tony felt himself slide slightly on the sand as he started walking but, after a few moments struggling, he managed to find his feet. "Do-Do you think they're okay?" he asked.

"I'm sure they're fine," Danni promised. "The Doctor is very good at talking himself out of situations. Statistically that'll be what'll work now."

"Mom always said that he would always put his foot in his mouth and get you all into even more trouble," he said.

"That is always a possibility," she agreed. "However, your mum and dad have been alive enough to raise you, haven't they?" He nodded slowly. "So everything is going to be fine."

Neither of them had expected to see the giant pyramid that sat down the other side of the dune, which was a lot steeper than what they'd just climbed up. There was a large tent village surrounding it, surrounded by a tall metal wall that was obviously there to keep people out.

"Oh, great," Danni sighed. " _Archaeologists."_

"Archaeologists?" Tony repeated. "You mean like Melody?"

Danni nodded. "I hate archaeologists," she declared bluntly. "They get so annoyed when you touch _anything_. And they like to categorise everything. It's such a dull way to live your life."

"But your mom's an archaeologist," he pointed out. She shrugged.

"River's always the exception in every situation," she pointed out. "Come on."

Tony looked down the rather steep hill. It looked almost impossible to walk down, which meant that they could tumble right down to the bottom with one misstep. "Are-Are we going down there?"

Danni shook her head. "I suspect that whatever the Doctor and your parents were taken for has something to do with that pyramid. We're going to go around the back and see if we can get in another way."

"You think they're in there?" he asked. Danni turned, heading back down the hill slightly to give them both some more cover.

"I can pretty much guarantee it," she replied. "We're going to have to move quickly before they get themselves into too much trouble."

Tony quickly followed her. He couldn't help but watch her. She looked much younger than his parents and his sister, but she still looked so imposing in her jacket and in her attitude. It was almost mesmerising watching her taking control of the situation, working off what Tony thought was basically nothing. He actually felt rather safe with her, which was strange considering he was the uncle and she was the niece. Traditional families had nothing on them.

"Do you think my parents are okay?" he asked quietly. Danni glanced over her shoulder at the boy.

"Your parents are seasoned pros at this," she told him. "It's not something you forget. They'll be fine."

 _~0~0~0~_

"Why is sand so hard to walk on?" Tony moaned.

Danni tried not to sigh in annoyance. The way around the small tent village was longer than Danni had anticipated and Tony had slowly become bored. She totally understood. The landscape wasn't exactly exciting and they kept having to stop so she could peek over the edge of the dunes that surrounded the village to have a look to see how their progress was going.

"Because the sand is small granules that move underneath your feet," she explained. "And most people find it easier to walk on a surface that doesn't yield."

"Are we there yet?"

"No, we're not there yet," she muttered through gritted teeth. "I said I'd tell you when we were."

"You said that _ages_ ago."

"It was like ten minutes, Tony. If you can't handle walking through a desert for half an hour then you really aren't ready to come travelling with us," she pointed out.

"Do you walk through deserts often?" he shot back.

"More than you'd expect," she admitted. She came to a stop. "Wait here."

"I don't want to wait," he groaned. She ignored him and moved up to the top of the hill. She looked over and saw that, finally, they seemed to be on line with the back of the pyramid. She looked over her shoulder.

"Tony, come here," she told him. His eyes lit up and his dashed up to her. "We need to get in there," she explained to him. "It looks like they've got people guarding every side though." Tony watched a small group of people wearing silver suits patrolling. Each side seem to have a group looking out for people approaching.

"Why are they dressed up like they're in a comic book?" he asked.

"Because Earth's style isn't the only one out there," she retorted. "Imagine how weird your clothes look to them." He looked down at himself with a frown. He didn't think there was anything wrong with what he was wearing. "They, most likely, were patrolling when they saw the TARDIS. Your father then went and opened the door because he's polite and they took him," Danni reasoned. "What we need to do is not that."

"What, be polite?"

Danni looked at him. "No, we need to not get captured. Always be polite." She looked back out. "I hate bad manners," she grumbled. "How hard it is it say a 'please' or 'thank you'? Seriously, the universe would be a better place if people were politer. And don't even get me started on people pushing you out of the way to get past…"

"What do we do, then?" he asked, interrupting what he could sense was going to become quite a rant.

"We're going to have to wait," she broke to him. He groaned again. "I need to get a feel for the patrol patterns. If you look into the bottom layer, on the right," she pointed over for him, "there's an opening. We need to get in there before anyone can stop us."

"Are we going to have to wait until dark?" he asked. He didn't want to wait around any longer. Danni shook her head.

"Nah, I'm better than that," she promised. "Just give me a little bit of time." She glanced up at the sun. "Maybe I should have put some sunscreen on you before we left."

Tony's nose wrinkled up in disgust. "Why?" he asked. "That stuff is gross. Dad tries to get me to wear it all of the time."

"That's because he's in the medical profession. You should listen to him," she told him. "We'll be fine. We won't be out here much longer."

"And you're sure they're in there?" Tony pressed. "Maybe they're around the front with the people in charge?"

"Your parents told you about their adventures with the Doctor and me, right?" she asked. He nodded. "Based on that, where do _you_ think he will be?"

Tony thought for a moment then nodded his agreement. The Doctor his parents had painted a picture of would have always been in the middle of danger the moment he found it. "So, what do you think is inside?" he asked curiously.

"A mummy? Riches, maybe," she offered. "Whatever it is it must be worth putting all that protection up around to keep people out."

"Why haven't they got the wall around the back?" Tony replied. She looked rather impressed, turning back to watch the patrols.

"Very good point," she praised. "Why haven't they protected the back?"

 _~0~0~0~_

It didn't take long for Danni to realise that they only had a small window to try and break into the back of the pyramid, and even then it was going to be tricky. The patrols, unfortunately, were quite effective and so they had they had very little time between two groups crossing over. They needed to be quick.

"You've got to run," she told Tony. "Stay as close to me as you can, but run straight for the doorway. If I fall behind don't wait. Just run straight in."

"What if there are people in there?" he asked.

"Then we'll both be captured and meet up again anyway," she reasoned. "Ready?"

He looked down at the soldiers, who all had guns, then at the door where they were heading. They had no idea what was on the other side. It could have been more guards, or mummies, or vampires, or _anything_. He was about to step into something completely unknown.

He was having an absolute blast.

He nodded. "Ready," he confirmed. Danni smirked. No one could ever resist their life, not really.

"On the count of three," she instructed. "One. Two. Three."

Both of them jumped over the edge of the hill, skidding on the sand. It became apparent, as Danni stumbled and started sliding down on her backside, that it was much easier to just let gravity do its thing and take them down. Tony glanced over at her, still on his feet, and decided that her way looked a _lot_ more fun.

"Do you do this all the time?" he cried as he slid down next to his niece.

"Not all the time. But a lot of the time," she told him. He laughed happily and she grinned. "Get ready to run!"

The guards had already noticed them and were rushing over to them. Danni stood up first and pulled Tony up. "Go!" she instructed and they both began running as fast as the sand would let them. Guards were coming from either side.

"Stop!" someone cried. "You have been ordered to stop!"

"Yeah, I don't do orders," Danni cried back, although she had no idea which one was telling her to. She looked around and saw that they were coming at them from in front of the opening. Which meant, on their current path, they wouldn't be getting inside.

"Tony," she said to catch his attention. "Go right."

He frowned. "Why?"

"Loop. Do it!" She turned, heading away from the opening. He didn't quite understand why, but he followed, slipping in the sand. The guards seemed surprised at the sudden turn and followed after them.

"You have been ordered to stop!" they continued to shout. "If you do not top then we will be forced to shoot."

"Oh-Oh of course you will," Danni panted. "Right, new plan, new plan…" she growled to herself. "Right, Tony, head for the opening."

"What?" he cried. "You said to not leave your side…"

"Unless I told you to," she cut in. "I'm telling you to." She was reaching into her pocket and pulled out something silver and small. "Go straight in!"

Tony didn't want to. He really didn't want to leave her side for one moment, but she turned off from him and waved her screwdriver in the air. "Hey! Hey, bozos, look what I've got!" she shouted, drawing their attention, and so he veered off to the side while they were distracted.

he darted into the opening and was immediately greeted by darkness. He hesitated only for a moment but did as Danni had told him, heading in further before pausing and waiting in the dark. He told himself over and over that it wasn't scary, that it was just darkness and Danni would be in any minute. He pretended that he was an explorer, that this was his adventure and was just one in many. He ignored the sound of gunshots from the outside because he did this every day. He didn't want his parents, he wasn't even fazed. He just paused to catch his breath. This wasn't because he was scared.

He jumped a mile when a figure appeared in the opening, running up to him, and he felt his worry fade when he realised it was Danni. He chucked his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "I thought they'd shot you," he said. She didn't move for a moment then patted him on the back.

"I'm fine, sport," she told him. "Come on, we need to head in."

He let her go but looked up, alarmed. "It's dark!" he exclaimed. "How are we supposed to head in…" He caught sight of the gun in her hand. "Do you have a gun?"

Danni didn't look down at it as she put the gun away. "It's fine," she told him again. She reached out and grabbed the sunglasses off his face and the hallway brightened slightly. Not a lot, but a little. "Let me get…" She put the sunglasses away and pulled out her screwdriver. She pressed a button and the blue light on the end turned on, shining down the hallway. "There, that's better." She held it out to him. "Here. Now you can see."

He took it. "Shouldn't you be holding this?" he asked.

"No, because you're going in front so I can keep an eye on you," she told him. "Head straight."

He shrugged but did as he was told. "To where, exactly?"

"I'm going to work that out as we go," she explained. "When breaking and entering you have to learn to work on the go."

"Are we breaking and entering?" he asked.

"Well… We didn't break anything," she offered. "Just keep moving."

Tony really didn't think it was a good idea to go deeper into the dark, scary pyramid. But he did as he said he was told, putting one foot in front of the other. "What do you think is in here?" he asked quietly.

"Probably treasure," she said. She kept her voice light to tell him that she really wasn't convinced that so much security would be needed had they just been scavenging for ancient treasure. Plain archaeologists weren't usually so… well, they were usually rather underfunded. The tent city, the security, the walls, all suggested that they were hiding something much bigger inside than a few gold statues and a dead guy.

"Hey, where do we go?" Tony asked. At the end of the hallway were two corners. One went left. One went right.

"Left," she told him and so he turned, following what appeared to be her arbitrary choice.

"Why left?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Because we came from the right," she offered. "There's more pyramid on this side."

She really didn't appreciate the darkness at all. She'd spent a lot of time with Missy in the dark, and she'd always been slightly scared of it. It wasn't half as scary as Missy, or Cybermen, or the multitude of creatures she'd come across in her time, but it wasn't nice. She liked to be able to see what was in front of her so she could judge if it was real or not, or if it was a threat. Having only the blue light of her screwdriver shining in front of her wherever Tony decided to point it wasn't what she wanted at all.

She pulled out her phone, deciding to give the Doctor another call. She never had to worry about signal due to how the TARDIS redirected the call, but once again he never answered. Which meant that either he was ignoring the phone or he couldn't answer. Neither were good options.

"Why were they not keeping the back entrance protected?" she mused out loud, trying to turn the situation into something she could solve.

"Maybe there's something at the front that's worth protecting?" Tony offered.

"Or maybe there's something at the back that they don't want to protect," she countered. They came to another turnoff and she motioned him deeper into the pyramid. "Maybe there's something at that back they specifically want people to find."

"Like a trap?"

"Something like that," she confirmed. "If they think people are going to break in then they might have provided them a fake entrance so they can catch all the thieves that they're anticipating."

"So we've just run straight into a trap?" Tony surmised.

"Maybe," Danni said, although she didn't like that at all. "But what are the guards for, then?" she reasoned. "If they were trying to get people to enter then why have people outside trying to stop them?"

Tony had absolutely no idea and told her as much. She couldn't blame him for it, either. She was the seasoned pro at the whole investigating new things and yet she was still stumped. "The Doctor must be in here somewhere," she reasoned. "Either in the pyramid or in the camp. We just need to find our way to the other side. We're bound to find them all either way."

Tony jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. She'd been quiet for a little while, obviously as she had mulled over their next move. "And we'll find my mom and dad?"

"Exactly," she started before being cut off by the sound of rumbling. She grabbed Tony's shoulder and pulled him to a stop and closer. "Give me the screwdriver."

He did just that and she turned, shining it back down to where they'd come from. There was nothing there but also no indication of where they'd come from. "Damn it. I should have marked our way," she grumbled to herself. "Stupid bloody Time Lord. You never did beat that out of me, Koschei."

"Who's Koschei?" Tony asked, baffled.

"Doesn't matter," she told him as the rumbling started to get louder. It was coming from behind them. "Don't worry about it. We need to keep moving."

"What's that noise?"

"Just keep moving," she instructed firmly, pushing him forward. She looked back over her shoulder. Something dark came from around the corner. "Shit! Run!"

"What-What is it?" Tony asked, suddenly back to being terrified. Danni shoved him hard.

"Just run, Tony!" she shouted. He started sprinting forward.

"I can't see!" he cried.

"I know! Just keep going and always turn left!"

She skidded to a stop, shining the torch one last time at the figure that was approaching them. It was tall, much taller than either of them. She couldn't make out any features, but it had long legs and arms, ending with sharp pointed fingers. Her eyes widened in horror when she realised the rumbling wasn't coming from its steps, or from what had to be its head, but from its stomach. The sonic's light reflected off sharp teeth and the mouth snarled hungry.

"Shit," she whispered. "Shit!" She turned and sprinted, quickly catching up with Tony. She should have locked him in the TARDIS. She should have stayed with him. She should force the Doctor to answer his bloody phone.

But, it was too late for all of that. All she could do was grab Tony's hand, taking over him and dragging him behind her.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Hey everyone! We up for a good old fashion adventure? Cause I am :D_

 _Just a note, I've uploaded the first chapter of the third part of my Sherlock fanfic. It's called **Just Another Girl** and follows on straight from **Can't Wait Til Tomorrow** , for those who are interested :)_

 _Reviews!_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Thanks sweetie! It was a slog to write, but I feel like it was worth it in the end. And I'm really glad you picked up on that little bit. Danni isn't overly fond of this regeneration, I just think she's good at hiding it._

 _ **bored411** \- I know, she's not going to be okay for a while, but I think we're starting to see turning points with her. I've been trying to build up the Doctor learning Danni again, so I'm glad that came across :)_


	40. A Mystery

"Rory, don't open…" the Doctor started, rushing towards the other man. There hadn't been anyone out there when Danni had checked, and that really wasn't long ago enough to justify a passer-by just trying their luck. Whoever it was had descended _pretty_ quick and that was never a good thing.

But it was too late. Rory opened the door. "Hey, can I… _ah!"_ A hand shot in, grabbing him and pulling him out of the TARDIS. Amy and the Doctor shared a look of alarm before rushing over and out.

Stood outside the TARDIS was a group of about ten people, all in silver outfits and all of them armed. There was one guard at the front and, judging by the eyes that were visible through the visor they were wearing, they were _not_ happy.

The Doctor realised that they were being chucked into the middle of the adventure that Amy and Rory were trying to avoid. He shut the TARDIS door behind him and grinned at the group. "Hello, there," he greeted. "Have we crashed your fancy dress party? Are you not all awfully warm in those outfits? You all look like jacket potatoes."

"Where did you come from?" the guard at the front demanded, either ignoring the slight at their appearances or just not understanding it. "This is a restricted area."

The Doctor looked at the small group of soldiers. They all looked vaguely human, with their ears set slightly too high. Amy and Rory probably couldn't tell but, well, he _was_ the more experienced of the bunch.

"A restricted area?" the Doctor repeated. "Well, those do normally tempt me. However, me and my two friends here will just get back into our box and head back on our way." He reached behind him with no intention of heading back inside. As he had suspected, the guards all raised their guns at once and pointed them at the trio. "Oh, well, I guess we'll just go with you instead," he offered cheerfully, much to the surprise of Amy and Rory. "One, two, and all that jazz, correct?"

The head guard seemed surprised as well, but took the compliance as motioned them away from the TARDIS. "Is there anyone else in there?" he asked.

"Does it look like anyone else could fit in there?" the Doctor countered. "Just take us to your leader like good little soldiers."

He got a jab in the back from one of the guns over that, but his attitude did keep their attention off the TARDIS, which was the main reason for his bantering. If he could keep Danni and Tony away from their attention then Danni would look after the young Pond and he could find out what was stopping the TARDIS from taking off.

"Why are we going with them?" Rory whispered. "Shouldn't have we tried harder to get into the TARDIS?"

"And done what, exactly?" the Doctor replied. "The TARDIS won't start. She isn't something you can jumpstart with a pair of cables and your best friend's car battery."

"Couldn't we have just, you know, hidden inside?" he pressed.

"Well, we _could_ have, had someone not answered the door when they knocked," the Doctor retorted pointedly.

"I just- I was—"

"You were trying to run away from your irate wife," the Doctor interrupted. He glanced up the sand dune they were heading towards. He assumed, going up instead of around, meant that wherever they were heading was on the other side. "Let me offer you this then, Mr Pond. They knew that at least _one_ person was in there. We could have waited behind and had them do everything in their power to either get in or take the TARDIS, which they probably could have done considering they've grounded her. Or, we offer them us as 'everyone' and keep your son and granddaughter safe and sound in the TARDIS until we get back."

"Ah," Rory replied. It made a lot of sense, especially after he had been the one to reveal there had been someone in the TARDIS. "Do you think they'll be alright?"

"Of course," Amy said. "Danni's not stupid. She'll look after Tony. She's the responsible one."

"It's true," the Doctor admitted freely. "When I sort out whatever they're doing to keep the TARDIS grounded, we'll…"

He trailed off. Not because he didn't believe what he was saying, because he did. Despite Danni's newfound awkwardness around children she wasn't about to put anyone in danger, especially her family. What had made him trail off what the sight that had appeared over the top of the dune. Down below them, farther down than they had walked up, was a very large pyramid surrounded by a large metal wall with a tent village inside.

"Oh no," he said softly, horrified.

"What?" Amy quickly asked. "What is it?"

"It's bad, isn't it?" Rory added, also starting to panic. "I've got us caught in something bad, haven't I?"

"It's worse than that," the Doctor replied. " _Archaeologists."_

Amy hit him on the arm. "I thought it was something horrible," she snapped.

"It is!" the Doctor protested. "We've been captured by archaeologists! Do you know how embarrassing that is? Danielle is never going to let me hear the end of it!"

He was shoved in the back by one of the soldiers. "Move," they snapped.

"Yes, Doctor," Amy said mockingly. " _Move_."

 _~0~0~0~_

As they were walked through the camp, Amy and Rory couldn't help but notice how everyone was staring straight at them. The people there looked like… well, they _seemed_ human, but they had a lot more experience to know that what looked human was never that. They were all wearing some variation of the silver uniform that the guards were wearing, some more ornate than others. They must have looked pretty strange in their Earth 1950s gear.

The Doctor, however, noticed a lot more than the outfits. He was used to people looking at him. He usually commanded the attention in most places, with Danielle and himself usually being the most interesting things at any location. People were nosy. As long as they weren't being nosy and getting in his way he didn't really care.

He noticed the distinct lack of archaeological items. While a lot of things were covered in sand – they _were_ in a desert – nothing seemed to be particularly dirty. That made sense when taking the pyramid into consideration. He just expected more… well, a lot more things being stolen from their resting place. All he saw was people hanging about, a lot of machines and not a lot of people pretending they knew what they were talking about.

He hated archaeology. When you had a time machine, making guesses about artefacts in the context of the time you were examining them seemed pointless. If he wanted to know how anything worked he could just take a trip back in time and see it in action. He had never identified a games console as a figurine of a god before.

Well, there _was_ that time he'd been hoodwinked by what had turned out to be an apple peeler and corer. It had looked more complicated than it needed to. Danielle didn't stop teasing him about that for _weeks._

Archaeological digs were normally headed up by someone _looking_ for something, as well. Not someone trying to learn, but someone looking for that special item to prove them right, not to be shown to be wrong. Generalisations were never good, but the universe didn't have a good track record as far as he'd seen.

So, he wasn't surprised when they were taken to the biggest tent. The one without too many tents too close to it. It was all so predictable. Luckily, that just meant that he knew how he could get them out of the camp and back to the TARDIS with relative ease. He didn't particularly want to drag the Ponds deep into his life again. He missed them, but he wasn't that naïve. Their lives had moved apart in that regard. He just needed to get them back home.

Unfortunately nothing was ever that simple…

"Hello, I'm the Doctor," he greeted tiredly as he entered the tent after the guards who had captured them. "These are my friends and _slash_ or relatives. That is my ship and _slash_ or home and we will… what is _that_?"

"Was he always so…" Amy whispered to her husband as the Doctor made a beeline for the table in the middle of the room, where the surprised and outraged occupants of the tent were stood.

"Distractible?" Rory finished for her. "Yes."

"I was going to say dickish, but yours works too," Amy finished.

"What do you think you are doing?" the woman at the table exclaimed angrily. "Who are you?"

"Doctor. Friends. TARDIS," the Doctor rambled off. "I don't go over old ground. This is an engine."

The woman looked over at the guards. "Who is he?" she snapped.

"We found them over the dunes, Ma'am," the guard explained. "They were in a small blue wooden box. They appeared when the alarms rang."

"Then why aren't they in chains?" she demanded, much to Amy and Rory's surprise.

"Wait, wait, you don't need to do that," Amy started in the hopes that they could placate them all.

The Doctor, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered at all by the idea that they were about to be chained up. In fact, he just pulled out his sunglasses and put them on, leaning closer to the engine to examine it closely. "This is interesting," he declared, giving the engine a buzz. Everyone jumped and the guards all drew their guns. "This engine is over a hundred years old."

The woman held up her hand. "It is," she said slowly, analysing him closely. "And?"

He reached out, grunting slightly as he turned it around. He reached in, feeling around. "And it's barely been used. It's barely off the assembly line," he continued. He felt all the different pieces of it. "Interesting…" He pulled out a small device. "That really shouldn't be in there."

"What is it?" the woman asked.

"It's a thing that shouldn't be there," the Doctor replied shortly. "What else did you think I meant by that?" He pointed it at her. "You're the important one, right?"

"Right…" she replied slowly, seemingly a little confused before she caught herself. "I'm Captain Herrera."

"They're making archaeologists captains now?" the Doctor retorted.

"We're not archaeologists," she replied. "We're a rescue mission. How did you know that the engine was a hundred years old?"

"It's pretty obvious when you look at it," he dismissed. "Who are you rescuing?"

"I don't think that's any of your business," the captain snapped. "Take them away and lock them up until we can get someone to take them…"

"It's a homing device," the Doctor interrupted yet again. "Or, at least, it _was_ a homing device. One use and it's gone. Whatever brought the engine to the ground was controlling it with this." He gave the device a wave in the air. "Whoever you're rescuing was pulled down here with it. I'm going to guess roughly a hundred years ago. First voyage, am I wrong?"

"They were just supposed to be scouting," she explained. "The ship stopped responding. Complete radio silence. When they went looking for what was considered the crash site, nothing was ever found. This is just the next stop on a long series of investigations into what happened to 736."

"736?" Amy repeated tentatively. "Was that the ship's number?"

The captain nodded. "We broke into the pyramid as a last resort with the thought that, if they had crashed, perhaps they might have taken up shelter inside. We've not found any remains. All we found was the engine."

"Why here?" the Doctor asked. "Why now?"

"The last known location of the ship was about three hundred miles due west," she explained. "The desert was pretty much disregarded, but 736 is pretty infamous and my higher-ups want us to investigate everything."

The Doctor didn't say anything for a moment as he chucked the homing device up and down, catching it with one hand. It was all incredibly interesting, especially since he now knew that it wasn't an archaeological dig. Danielle would have loved to see what was happening, but keeping her with Tony in the TARDIS was still the best move. He did have the Ponds with him, after all. He did work better with an audience.

"Alright, I'll do it," he declared, chucking the device at the captain.

"Do what?" she asked, catching it with ease.

"Take the case. Look into your missing crew," he replied. "Show me everything you've got."

"I don't have the foggiest idea who you are," she replied bluntly. "Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because of that," he said, nodding towards the device. "I came in here and, in the space of thirty seconds, showed you all you needed to know. Your crew didn't crash, they were pulled down here. Which means that there is something in that pyramid that you don't know about. I'm someone you want on your side." He then shrugged. "Unless you want to blunder along yourselves. I don't mind, I don't really care. We'll go on our merry way and you can fail to spot anything else important. Up to you, Captain."

Amy tried not to smile to herself. Even after all this time she knew this part well. He may have done it a little differently when he'd been her raggedy man but this was the part where he convinced them to work with him. And it _always_ worked.

Even Rory, who was always more reluctant to travel than she was, knew what was happening now. The captain, who didn't want to seem incompetent but also had nowhere else to turn, deliberated for one long moment. Then, she looked to her guards. "Take them into the pyramid," she instructed. "See if they can find anything we've missed. If they don't; leave them there."

 _~0~0~0~_

"I didn't sign up for this," Rory muttered. "I signed up for a twelve-year old's birthday party."

"No one ever signs up for this," the Doctor retorted. "It just sort of happens. I've tried for centuries to have a quiet life with my wife. I've tried the whole 'sight-seeing' angle, but it never works."

The tunnels in the pyramid were incredibly dark, and seemingly endless. Amy and Rory had protested as they'd been led into the pyramid, but the Doctor had seen it much differently. Even with his wife and Uncle-in-Law in the TARDIS, maybe in danger of being kidnapped and also led to their possible deaths. They were just left to wander deeper, trying to see anything out of the ordinary. The only thing that he'd deduced so far was that the pyramid felt more like a maze than a final place of resting. Like it was designed for people to get lost in.

"Oh, you would hate just sight-seeing," Amy replied. "As would Danni. She's always liked jumping head first into everything."

There had been a point in his life where he would have agreed whole-heartedly. Her first body, especially, had been much more impulsive. Now, though, she liked to have more control over everything. He understood that completely, he was just struggling to give her that. But that wasn't the issue right now. The problem was that, somewhere, inside the giant pyramid was the reason the TARDIS wouldn't fly. And the TARDIS wasn't the only thing that was being affected by it, it would seem.

"Can we get some light?" he asked loudly to the people they were following. "Is there a switch somewhere? You must have electricity."

"We have to keep the tunnels dark."

"You 'have to keep the tunnels dark'?" the Doctor repeated mockingly. "Really? That's all you're going to give me?" He sighed heavily. "Why do you have to keep them dark?"

The guard just smirked slightly. "Isn't that why you're here? To work it out?"

"This is why I need Danielle," the Doctor grumbled. She wouldn't stand for people being rude. Or, at the very least, would help keep his frustration down at the fact that no one seemed to ever want to answer his very simple questions. "Fine, let's work it out." He reached out to each side, letting his fingers drag across the sand blocks that made up the walls. He gathered a bit of the crumbling sand up, running it between his fingers. "This pyramid is, what, nine thousand years old?" The sand fell to the ground as they continued on. "With no light sources. So, definitely a tomb rather than a fancy hotel."

"Are there many pyramid hotels?" Amy asked him.

"You'd be surprised. People love a good theme. Or, in this case, rather a bad theme," he reasoned. "Have you worked it out yet?"

"Worked out what?" Rory asked.

"What's wrong," he replied. "Can you see it, yet?"

"I can't see anything," Amy muttered. "We should have just gone back to the TARDIS."

"We can't, that's the point," the Doctor said. "For both things, actually. We can't go back to the TARDIS and we can't see anything. No gold, no decorations, no remains of a ship that disappeared from the air like it was never there. There're no mummies, no ancient depictions of an animal that really deserved more worship than they were getting. Where is all of the history? There are archaeologists outside and no one has found anything."

"They're not archaeologists," Rory commented, but the Doctor didn't seem to care.

"And not one of you, not one of you, seems to have noticed the rumbling."

Rory frowned, pausing. "What rumbling?"

Amy had also come to a stop. "Yeah, I can't hear anything," she told the Doctor bluntly. "Is this like the Earth, and the Silurians? I don't want to be eaten by the ground again."

He shook his head. "No, of course not," he replied. "This rumbling is definitely coming from behind us." He turned to the guard. "You're not telling us something," he snapped. "What have you found?"

To his credit, the guard looked a little sheepish and a lot worried. "We've lost about twelve men in here since we started excavation," he explained. "There's no sign of them, no distress signals, nothing. They've all just disappeared without a trace."

"Oh, great. So instead of looking for my help you're just feeding me and my friends to a pyramid," he exclaimed. He turned to Amy and Rory. "So, I've got some bad news…"

Amy stormed over to him, trying to glare at him in the dark. It was hard, but she managed it well. "What have you gotten us into?" she demanded.

"Me?" he replied, outraged. "It was your husband who opened the front door."

"Doctor, that rumbling, it's getting closer," Rory told him as the rumbling started to get close enough for him to feel through the soles of his shoes. His guilt at not thinking before acting was starting to building to a strength that felt like he was being strangled.

"I know, I know," the Doctor snapped. "Keep moving. I need to think."

No one needed telling again and the group started heading deeper into the pyramid. "Have I managed to get us killed?" Rory continued. "We can't die here."

"Ever the optimist, I see," the Doctor drawled as his mind raced over every species he knew to try and work out what was following them and whether or not it was going to be friendly. He'd already decided that it wasn't – after all, what lived in a pyramid that ate people left and right and _was_ friendly? – but he couldn't place the rest of the scenario. He didn't even know what planet they were on, but he doubted even if he knew the name he'd actually know anything about it. His knowledge of the universe was vast, but there was still a lot more that he didn't know than he did. "There is something in the pyramid, something that Indiana Jones out there did know about, but didn't mention."

"We're worked that out, Doctor," Rory retorted. "Anything else?"

"Something that needs to be kept in the dark. Something that is eating people and something that you don't know how to stop, correct?"

"We don't even know what it is," the guard explained. "No one has been able to get close enough to see it and survive."

"Doctor! We have a son!" Amy reminded him pointedly, as if he hadn't considered not being chased by a random, killer alien.

"I'm not exactly looking to die here either," he retorted. "The quicker we find out what is at the centre of the pyramid, the sooner we can get back to the TARDIS and I can drop you back off to clean up after the gaggle of kids you called a party."

"Wait-Wait a minute," Amy sped up her already rather speedy steps and appeared at his side. "Did you just 'middle of the pyramid'?"

"No, I said 'centre of the pyramid'," the Doctor retorted.

"Why are we heading to the centre of the pyramid?" she asked impatiently. "Shouldn't we be heading back out the other way?"

"Yes, sure, if you want to head _towards_ the terrifying rumbling then we can head directly to our deaths right now," he told her. "After all, whatever is coming towards us is sure to let us pass after a little chat."

"Yes, alright, you've made your point," Amy grumbled. "Do you have a plan other than 'get away from the people-eating monster'?"

"I'm working on it," he told her. "I work better when I'm running for my life. You should remember that."

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni hated running for her life. Her blood was pumping through her veins, keeping the adrenaline flowing so she could keep pulling Tony behind her. The creature, thankfully, seemed to be quite slow on the scale of monsters who had chased her and her friends in the past, but she still wanted to keep a good distance between the perusing alien and her uncle.

"What-What is that?" Tony exclaimed, terrified.

"I have no idea," Danni replied. "I think it's hungry, though. We just need to outrun in."

"To where?" Tony cried. "We don't know where we're going! We're going to be stuck in here forever!"

"Wow, you really are Rory's kid," Danni muttered to herself. Her lungs were starting to hurt, but many centuries and a rather strong survival instinct said that she could keep running for a while yet. "We've just got to keep running until we get to a place we can split off. Then we can head one way and, hopefully, it will head down the other."

"Are-Are my parents going to be there?" he asked.

Danni didn't know. She had lost all bearing of where they were in the pyramid when they'd started running and she didn't know if she was heading towards the centre, or back towards the exit, or towards some sort of dead-end where they'd never get free. She put the sonic screwdriver in her mouth so she could pull out her phone.

"Theta!" she shouted, after yanking the screwdriver back out of her mouth, when the Doctor's phone, yet again, went to voicemail. "We're going to have to add a notification feature to your watch because this is ridiculous."

She hung up then pointed the tip of her screwdriver to the screen of the phone. "You still there, Tony?"

"I-I can't keep going," he panted, but she ignored the complaint and instead focused on the fact that he was still running. They turned another corner as she loaded up the Maps app on her phone with one thumb as she kept the sonic screwdriver pointed against the phone.

"Just a little longer. I'm just trying to rework the map…" she started before, with an almighty spark, her phone exploded. She yelled, chucking it away from her where it smashed against the wall. "Bullshit!" she snapped. "Where the hell are you when I need you?!"

Tony's brows furrowed and he felt where the sweat was keeping his hair stuck to his forehead. "The Doctor?"

Danni didn't reply. She was doing so well, not getting mad at the Doctor for not being able to find and save her, but she just needed someone to shout at. She knew he'd understand if she told him.

"Look!"

She sighed in relief when she saw the 'T' junction up ahead. "Just follow me," she told him. "Don't say anything. Just follow."

She had wanted to try and turn her phone into some sort of compass. It had GPS functionality, so she'd hoped she'd be able to, at the very least, get some sort of indication as where they had been heading. Now, though, she knew they were going to have to run blind. And, without any real knowledge of where they'd come from, she didn't know which way to go next.

So she went right.

Tony kept on her heels until she came to a stop. "Right, what do we know?" she asked out loud.

"We're in a pyramid where there are monsters chasing us," Tony replied. "I-I want to go home, now."

She placed a hand on his arm and gave him a comforting, if not slightly awkward, rub. "I know. Not long," she promised. "I'll get us back to your parents. Just let me…" She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a breath to try and calm herself down. "Right. We don't have a phone, we don't have the TARDIS, and we have no idea where we are in the pyramid or, even, what planet we're on. Those all of the things that we _don't_ have. What _do_ we have?"

Tony pointed to her hand. "Your sonic screwdriver?" he offered and she nodded.

"Yes, yes, that's good," she said, her voice raising slightly in hope. "And I've got my…" She trailed off as she patted her coat, feeling her gun in her pocket. She held her hand in place, feeling the firmness through the fabric, taking a little bit of comfort from it. Not as much as she once had done, but there still was some there. She moved her hand away. "Right. Sonic. We might not be able to know exactly where we're going, but…" She pointed it down the hallway in front of her. She glanced at Tony. "It's going to go dark for a moment. Don't move."

He nodded firmly and she buzzed the sonic a couple of times. The light flickered and they were bathed in darkness until she popped the end out to read the results.

Tony watched her, illuminated by the pale white-ish blue-ish glow of the light on the end of the screwdriver. She looked like the whole of her life was flashing through her head as she tried to pull out the information she was looking for that correlated with what she saw.

He had no idea what she saw. He didn't understand it. His mom and dad had always said that the sonic screwdriver hadn't made any sense, and his mom said that the Doctor just pretended to see stuff on it to make himself look smarter. Danni, though, did seem to see that she was seeing something on it.

She turned around, putting the light back on and pointing it back the way they came. "We need to head back," she told him.

"Why?" he asked. "That-That monster's that way!"

"Yes, well, there's a monster this way too," she offered. "We need to head down the other hallway. Ready?"

He tried not to focus on being tired, and instead focused on how much his legs were aching. "Do we really have to run?" he whined.

"You get used to it," she told him. "Go!"

She knew that even the most active of children would struggle with keeping up with their lifestyle, and she was acutely aware that she might lose Tony to fatigue at any moment. She silently berated herself as they crossed over the junction to the other hallway. She should have just kept them both in the TARDIS. He would have been safe, and it wasn't like the Doctor didn't know how to get himself out of sticky situations. She had just wanted to find him. She'd wanted to be useful.

"Oh no," she panted, coming to a stop at the dead end. The rumbling was starting to catch up to them again, signalling that the way back way was now off limits. She grabbed Tony by the arm and flung him behind her before pulling out her gun.

"Are you really going to shoot it?" Tony asked her.

She nodded. "If I have to," she replied. "I don't want to, but if I have to." She took another deep breath. She didn't want to use the gun in front of her uncle. She hated guns, really. She always had. She hated that it made her feel safe and in control, but while it did it was a valid and necessary option for her.

"Oi, mate!" she called. "Hungry, eh? Well, if you head the other way I'm sure you'll find something nice."

There was a roar and, from around the corner, the monster appeared, striding towards them with loud, heavy footsteps. "I said go the other way," she called, voice firm and the warning was clear in her tone. "What do you say, big guy?"

The monster really wasn't keen on her suggestion and the other one was quick to join it. Danni took a step back and so did Tony. "I don't think they care," he cried.

"I noticed," she retorted. She shifted on her feet, getting ready. "I'm going to count from three," she told them. "This is your last warning. I will shoot."

Tony felt his back press up against the wall as he continued to back up. Danni was stood firm in front of him, gun cocked and ready and, no matter how terrifying the creatures coming towards them was, he was also terrified of the gun going off. His parents had always been so anti-gun that he'd never really been around them, and he was quickly wishing that it had stayed that way.

"Three," Danni counted down. "Two. One."

The gun shot with a sound Tony had never heard before. As it did, he pressed further away and closed his eyes, terrified. The wall clicked and he yelled in fright as it turned away and he fell through to the other side.

The two creatures cried out in pain, falling to the floor with the two fatal shots. Danni didn't pay attention, though, because she knew her aim was good enough that her shots would have hit their marks. She spun around, eyes wide. "Tony?" she asked, hearts suddenly racing. He was gone. " _Tony_!"

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Sorry for yet another ridiculously long break. I'm sure all of you have left by now, but hopefully real life will let me get back to writing weekly again._

 _Anyway, leave a review if you're still here!_


	41. A Memory

Danni stared at the wall where Tony was just stood. She quickly darted forwards, running her hands across the surface, pressing against every single brink in the wall. "Tony?!" she shouted, her panic rising. "Tony, can you hear me?!"

There was no reply and she moved onto trying to open the hole against by pressing against the adjoining walls. Each press became more and more frantic as she tried desperately to get to the young lad. Nothing seemed to work, though, and she found herself just staring at the sand-coloured wall, eyes wide and panting.

She took a step back, hands shaking. In the back of her mind she saw the strangeness of trying to find yet another door in a wall that shouldn't have a door, but all she could focus on was the fact that she was on one side and Tony was on the other. She turned on the spot, looking at the monsters that laid dead on the ground, then back at the dead-end she'd found herself alone in.

She raised her hands as if to cup her mouth, then up as if she was going to grab her hair before her hands hovered in front of her as she stood, utterly lost over what to do next. She felt terrified. Absolutely terrified.

She pointed her gun at the wall and fired, wincing at the debris that flew straight back at her. It took a chunk out of the wall, but not enough to make it through. She fired again, and again, but stopped when she realised she was just going to be bringing more of the monsters towards her and she was going to run out of ammo to defend herself.

She turned again, staring out into the darkness. Her mind was completely blank. When she had been on the run she had thrived in situations like this. She found herself thinking faster and better when she had very little time and resources to save herself. Now, though, she just stared ahead. Everyone was going to be so mad at her. God only knew what was happening to Tony, and it was all her fault.

"Theta?" she whimpered, shaking. She couldn't even try ringing him since she'd broken her phone. She was stuck on her own and she had no plan. She didn't even have an inkling of what she needed to do. She hadn't felt like that in so long, but she just wanted her husband to swoop in and save the day. "Please."

He didn't answer, because he wasn't there. Missy didn't appear to taunt her, because she wasn't there either. Rory didn't say any calming words, and Clara didn't tell her that she could make it through because she was fantastic. No one told her anything. No one was there.

She took a shaky breath, once again turning on the spot so she could examine the damage she had done. The stone felt rough and solid underneath her fingertips. There wasn't any give at all which meant she was going to have to fight her way through. And, making it through the wall seemed like the best bet for her to find Tony. She'd work out what to do without her gun once she found her uncle again. That was the only thing that mattered.

She took a step back this time to minimise the amount of rock she would get hit by and shot once, then again. The third shot made a strange noise against the wall. Her breath caught at the sight of the pure metal panel that was behind the rock. She rushed back over and pulled away the little parts of the rock that were falling away. The bricks weren't as thick as she thought it was going to be. It was just reinforced from behind.

She struggled to breath, stood frozen, as her nervous panic caused her to just want to turn and run. The was no obvious place where Tony had gone. How was she supposed to follow?

"What do I do?" she whispered to herself. "What do I do?"

 _~0~0~0~_

 _With a flash of light in a dark alley, Danni appeared into existence. She had no idea where she was, or when she was, or even the time of day but she didn't have time to worry about that. She didn't have time to worry about anything at all. She knew she had moments, at best, before Missy would appear and she had to act fast._

 _She ripped the vortex manipulator off her arm, running into the street. It was quite busy despite the modest surroundings and her eyes darted everywhere, looking for somewhere to stash it. She was counting down every second in her head that she was still hanging around, but she knew Missy could trace the manipulator and that she had another 20 seconds, max, before she would appear._

 _Trying not to feel guilty about the wrath she was about to bring down onto a random passer-by, she shoved it into a woman's shopping bag as she ran away in the opposite direction to where the woman was heading. It had taken almost a century but Danni had managed to find a way to escape. She'd found a vague reference in a book about the history of the Time Agency that Missy had allowed her to read that had mentioned a small pulse that had put a team of agents out of commission for thirty seconds. It had taken her over a year to gather the pieces to build a device but she had managed to butcher something together in the hopes that it would work and wasn't just a bit of misremembered history. She'd grabbed her manipulator and had set it off the moment she'd activated the time travel device. The problem was that it had knocked the time circuits out so she'd moved place but not time zone. She also only about a thirty second window to get as far away from where Missy as she could._

 _So she ran. She ran and she ran, ignoring the stitch in her side and the looks from people as a woman in her pyjamas and bed hair pushed through the crowds. She ran further and further from what appeared to be the centre of a town until she reached a suburban area. Her eyes darted around as she panted and pushed herself to continue. Missy would never look for her somewhere so wholesome. Hell, she wouldn't look for herself for her here._

 _She cut down small streets, heading in deeper into the area until she picked an arbitrary road. She then continued until she had counted four garages, then snuck up the path of one house and up to the first house with all of its lights off. She hid in the bushes that lined the drive until she was certain that the cost was clear, then she tried the windows, hoping to be able to break in._

 _It took her two more houses and entirely too long to be able to find a house to break into, but she did. It was a nice house, which worried Danni for a moment but if she continued to second-guess her every choice Missy would find her and that wasn't an option. She made her way to the front door from the back of the house, grabbing some fruit of the fridge on her way past as she did, and hid in the closest corner, in the shadows. All she could do was hope that no one came home. Luckily, no one ever did._

 _Slowly the dusk became dark, and the dark became the night and still Danni didn't move from her spot. She stayed on the floor until the first signs of day began shining through the cracks in the wall and she realised she had done it. She had escaped. She was finally free._

 _She should have been happy. She should have been cheering, and dancing, and sobbing for pure joy. Instead she just pulled her knees close and waited for the day to begin outside. One thought echoed in her head over and over, a question she didn't have an answer to, and it drowned out any sense of elation or relief she may have felt._

 _She had nothing. She had no way of contacting the Doctor, or Clara, or Jack or River. She had no money, no clothes, no identification. She had no food and nowhere to live. She had the maddest of the mad looking for her and only the hope that she had a husband doing the same. Suddenly running seemed like the most stupid thing she could have ever done. Missy was a monster, the evillest thing in the universe, but at least she would have had somewhere to sleep, something to eat. The Doctor would have found her eventually, how was he going to save her now? This was a terrible idea. The worst idea she'd ever had._

 _She slowly peeked out of the doorway and looked around the street. Everything looked so suburban, with every house looking the same. She didn't belong there. She needed to get away, but it wasn't like she had a way of doing that._

 _She darted back in as someone walked past the house, hiding before they could see her. She needed to blend in better. She looked at the wall by the door, where some coats hung. She winced guiltily but took one, slipping it on. It was quite cool outside. She also changed up her shoes for a pair of the boots that were sitting underneath. Different footprints were probably good. In case she left footprints. Would she be going anywhere where that was possible? It was definitely worth being prepared._

 _She, finally, decided to leave the house. She stepped onto the street outside, which was very ordinary and relatively quiet. She struggled to breath, stood frozen, as her nervous panic caused her to just want to turn and run._

" _What do I do?" she whispered to herself. "What do I do?"_

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni swallowed hard. "Focus, Danni, focus," she scolded herself. "The wall opened, which means it can open again. Open the wall. All you have to do is open the wall."

She found a bit of sanity in breaking down problems into smaller chunks. Much like building furniture, she could see it better when it was broken down into its parts, so she tried to do that now. Pushing back the thought of Tony on his own, hurt and in danger, she focused on the problem at hand. There was a wall in front of her that she needed to not be there. Now that blasting through wasn't an option as she wasn't going to be able to blast through the metal, she needed it to open up again. She hadn't been able to find how Tony did it, so the next best thing was to force it open herself.

She put her gun away in favour of her sonic screwdriver and raised it, pointing it at the wall before focusing hard on unlocking it. " _Think and point_ ," she muttered to herself. She had thought, over the years, how much easier her life would have been had she actually had her sonic screwdriver on her. Now it seemed harder to remember that it was a thing she owned and carried with her. Really, she should have tried it before shooting at the wall. She'd probably damaged whatever mechanism was behind it.

She jumped slightly at the grinding noise she heard, but the wall in front of her didn't open. She tried again, focusing harder, and the grinding noise continued. Whatever she was doing it was something that obviously wasn't done very often.

She jumped again as, instead of the wall in front of her, the wall to the side opened up to another dark hallway. This one looked distinctly less pyramid-like, with the metal walls continuing rather the sand blocks. She frowned, pointing her sonic screwdriver down it and setting off with another purposeful thought and a couple of very dull yellow lights came on, showing that the hallway went straight on.

She lowered her screwdriver. "Spaceship, not a pyramid," she said lowly to herself. "Didn't see that coming."

She looked back at the wall that hadn't opened up. She could spend more time trying to open the door, but experience said that wasting time on it wasn't going to be as productive as she wished it would be. But she didn't exactly want to leave Tony all alone. She remembered the Doctor leaving her with the half-faced man in Victorian London. Not knowing he was coming back, feeling like he'd left her to die, had been absolutely awful. She didn't want Tony to feel anything like that at all.

But that hallway… What _was_ it? Where did it leave? Who put it there? So many questions. So many _enticing_ questions.

She pressed a hand on the metal wall. "Tony!" she called through. "I'm going to find you. Just keep safe. I'm going to have to leave but I am coming back." She nodded. "Don't be scared!" she continued. "I'm coming back!"

And, with that, she turned and headed down the hallway. She just needed to find a way.

 _~0~0~0~_

Tony screamed as the wall opened behind him and he fell backwards into the dark. He continued to scream as he didn't hit the floor, but rather fell further down into the dark. His arms flailed out as he tried to find something to grab onto, but after what felt like an age but was probably only a few seconds, he hit the floor with a thud.

He groaned, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up. He couldn't see much of anything. "Danni!" he called out, terrified.

He yelled again as the lights around him flickered and blinded him with the yellow glow as they all suddenly turned on. The sound of whirring machinery around him was also a surprise. "Danni?" he asked again, this time more confused as he stood up from the floor.

He was in a small room, with a chair surrounded by a desk and some sort of television on it. Everything was rather dusty, like he was the first person in the room in a _long_ time. He walked over and pressed what he assumed was the power button. The box next to it squealed as the fan inside came to life and the screen displayed some text.

"Oh!" he exclaimed to himself. "It's a computer." Danni had explained the TARDIS console as a computer to him. He wasn't sure what a computer really was, but it reminded him enough of the TARDIS that he decided he was right. He turned away from it, dismissing it almost instantly as he had learnt about some computers in school but he didn't really know anything about them.

He was more concerned about the door on the other side of the room. With monsters running about and no way of knowing where he was, he wasn't sure if the door was a good or bad thing.

" _Tony!"_

He looked up at the ceiling at the sound of Danni's voice. "Danni!" he called back up. She called his name again. "I'm down here! Can you hear me?"

Evidently not because she didn't reply. He threw up his hands as, suddenly, the sound of something exploding above him was quickly followed by dust and chunks of the ceiling falling down on him. Danni was trying to break into the room to find him. He moved out of the way of the hole, grinning to himself as he watched.

Then the explosions stopped and, as he continued to stare, he realised that she couldn't get to him. "Danni?" he called up again. When there was no reply he started looking around the room to see if he could get up into the hole. The ceiling was quite high, though, and without a ladder there was no way he could pull himself up.

" _I'm coming back!"_ Danni's voice floated down and his eyes widened in his panic.

"Wait!" he cried. "Wait! Don't leave me!"

He again waited for a reply and there was none. He knew, logically, that if she couldn't break down to him that she would have to find another way to save him. Logic didn't exactly help, though, and his eyes stung with tears brought on by his fear. His parents had been so right; he was _not_ ready for this kind of thing. He just wanted to go home and see his Grandad again.

He wiped his eyes furiously, embarrassed at his reaction. He walked over to the computer but he really had no idea how to use them, so he couldn't get any useful information from it, so he sat down on the chair and stared at the door.

Danni had said that he was more like his dad than his mom. He could see it as, for a moment he considered leaving to find Danni before deciding that the sensible thing would be to stay and wait for help to come to him. That would be exactly what both his mom and dad would tell him to do, but the only one who would follow that advice themselves would be his dad.

He felt a little sorry for the Doctor and Danni. From what he had heard in stories their lives seemed to be always one big adventure. It had sounded so good, now he wasn't so sure it was.

Still, he couldn't help but stare at the door, wondering if being sensible was _actually_ the sensible thing or if he should follow his mom's example. After all, she was still alive. Alive in a time she hadn't been born in, but alive none the less. But he didn't want to get hurt, or killed, or told off for wandering around on his own. And he'd promised Danni that he wouldn't head off on his own unless she told him to and she had said she'd back.

But how awesome would it be if he found her first?

He would need a weapon, though, right? There were monsters out there who wanted to eat him. He didn't want to be eaten. And there wasn't much he could use to fight them off. His only defence would be to be sneaky enough that they wouldn't notice him. _That_ he was good at. He'd snuck out of the house on a couple of occasions and he hadn't been caught yet.

The trouble with being in his own thoughts was that he didn't pay attention to anything else until it was too late. He heard the footsteps coming closer and closer and jumped out of his chair, alarmed. He quickly looked around and saw nothing of use to him, so he picked up the chair, ready to throw it at whatever was swiftly heading to the only door out of the room. He held it, ready to chuck it at any monster that came in to eat him. He tried to hide his frown and put on a threatening face; the other monsters hadn't been that fast, was he about to be eaten?

The door flew open and in dashed a grey-haired man. "Everyone in!" he commanded in his Scottish accent. Amy and Rory quickly followed, then a man in a silver uniform came in last and shut the door behind them. Tony dropped the chair.

"Mom!" he cried, surprised. The group quickly spun around, the guard pointing at gun at him.

Amy looked positively stunned. "Tony?" she asked, stepping forward. The Doctor held out his arm to stop her then raised his sunglasses. He gave Tony a once over to make sure he was the lad he was pretending to be, and when everything seemed okay, he lowered his arm and Amy rushed over to her son.

She gave him a giant hug, very happy to see him, and he hugged her back just as tightly. "Tony!" she cried again before pulling back, looking very cross. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Did you run away from Danni? What did I tell you about…"

"I didn't run away!" he quickly interrupted and Rory walked over, frowning.

"You didn't?" he asked. "What are you doing here? Did something happen to the TARDIS?"

Tony shook his head. "We saw on the screens that you were taken, so Danni brought me along with her to…"

"Wait, _Danni_ brought you here?" Rory asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah," Tony offered. Amy's eyes flashed angrily and Tony knew that look on her face. "It-It wasn't like she wanted to…"

"She brought you?!" Amy ranted. "What the hell was she thinking? You're twelve years old!"

"I'm sure she had a valid reason to bring him," the Doctor reasoned to her but Amy just turned her attention to him.

"He's a child!" Amy cried. "She should have kept him on the TARDIS! I thought she knew better than that!"

"She does," the Doctor snapped back. "There will be a reason but if you're going to keep shouting needlessly…"

" _Needlessly?!_ "

"Then you're going to bring those things to us and then we're _all_ in danger, including the boy," the Doctor finished over the top of her. Amy glared at him, wanting to rant and rave but calmed herself down.

"Fine," she snapped lowly.

"I don't think it matters," the guard stated with his gun pointed to the door. "There's something out there."

They all slowly backed away from the door. "Tony, where is Danielle now?" the Doctor asked the young boy.

"I-I don't know," he replied quietly. "I fell through the hole in the ceiling and she couldn't follow. I think she went looking for me."

The Doctor glanced up at the ceiling and saw where Tony had come from. "And she couldn't just come down the same hole?" he asked.

"It was hidden behind a wall. I think it closed after me," Tony explained. "Will she be okay?"

"Not when I get my hands on her she won't be," Amy grumbled.

"Pond, be quiet," the Doctor snapped. "Something's coming. We don't need you overreacting and drawing its attention."

"I'm not overreacting!" Amy exclaimed and the group stared at her, amazed. She looked rather stunned at herself. "Sorry," she whispered.

The Doctor rolled his eyes as he reached into his pockets, looking for his phone. There was a lot of messages waiting for him to listen to, which meant that Danni had tried to get into contact with him. He had no idea where she was, or if she was safe, so he was hoping that she had left him some clues to her whereabouts. He raised it to his ear, listening to the last voice mail that was left for him. " _Theta! We're going to have to add a notification feature to your watch because this is ridiculous."_

He tried to call her back but was met with her own voicemail message. "Danielle, you can't complain then not answer your phone," he told her.

"She chucked her phone away," Tony told him quietly. "She was doing something with the map she said was on it then it exploded."

"Oh, the news just gets better and better," he grumbled. There was a roar from outside. "Maybe it will leave us alone."

"When does that ever work for us?" Rory replied.

The Doctor didn't want to admit that he was right. He also didn't want to point out that it didn't really happen to the Pond family anymore, he feared that wouldn't go down very well. "Not with that attitude it doesn't," he retorted.

The monster outside began to bang against the door, making the metal door shake like it was made of paper. "Doctor, what do we do?" Amy asked.

"Oh, I didn't miss that either," the Doctor replied. "Right, well, the end goal is for us not to be eaten by the Bellymaw out there."

"Bellymaw?" Amy repeated. "Did you _name_ the monster?"

"To do that we need to get out of the room without it seeing us," the Doctor continued.

"But it's outside the only door," Rory pointed out.

"There is the hole in the ceiling," Tony offered. "That's how I go here, maybe we can go back out that way."

"Danni couldn't follow you down it, so I doubt we can go back up," the Doctor replied. "Good suggestion, though," he tacked on the end to give the boy some encouragement.

"So, our only option is to stay here and get eaten," the guard said.

The Doctor shot him a look. "Less helpful," he replied. His brain whirled as he tried to figure out the best thing to do. He needed get everyone safe and find his wife, whilst also working out what the pyramid was doing. Why did it have a study with a desk and a computer, with metal walls and doors when the exterior was obviously supposed to evoke the feel of a less technological society?

The door broke down and the group huddled together closer. The Bellymaw took heavy, thunderous steps into the room, roaring hungrily as it advanced on them. Amy and Rory held the son closer and the Doctor stood between them and the monster. The guard started taking shots, but they didn't seem to be hurting it.

"Right, when I give the signal, get out of here," he told the trio. "Just run."

"Where to?" Amy retorted. "We don't know where we are!"

"I don't know. Away from the monster would be my first suggestion!" he snapped. "I can't think of everything, Amelia! I'm not sure our friend here is going to appreciate me trying to have a chat with it!"

The guard lowered his gun. "The bullets aren't working," he told them. "If we're going to make a run for it, we should go now."

The Doctor shook his head. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered. "Why does it always… Right, when I have its attention, run." He took a step forward. "Oi! Monster Mouth!" That seemed to get the monster's attention and it turned to roar directly at him. "Ah, I-I apologise for the insult," he rambled. "I see that maybe it wasn't the best thing to…"

With a loud bang the creature roared in pain before falling to the ground, dead. Behind it stood Danni, gun out, looking panicked. "Danni!" he cried, relieved. She nodded, lowering her arm.

"Tony, are you okay?" she asked her uncle. He nodded.

"There wasn't anything underneath me," he told her and she seemed to relax slightly.

"I'm sorry…" she started but Amy let go of her son, stepping forward, eyes blazing.

"You're _sorry?!"_ she shouted. "What the hell were you thinking? You brought _Tony_ here?!"

"Amy, let's not…" Rory started but a glare from his wife had his voice wavering slightly. "Let's just-just hear her out."

"Alright," Amy retorted, turning back to Danni. "What good reason do you have bringing my son here?" she demanded.

Danni hadn't expected so much fury from Amy. "I-I didn't want him wandering around on his own…" she started.

"If you had just stayed in the TARDIS he wouldn't have been anywhere on his own," Amy replied. "I can't believe you brought him here and then _lost_ him."

"Mom, she didn't lose me," Tony interrupted. "Leave her alone."

Amy didn't even look at him. "You're supposed to be the smart one," she continued. "You're supposed to be sensible, and now you're carrying a _gun_ and taking my son into danger."

"I wasn't taking him into danger," Danni protested. "I was trying to save you all! If I'd left him behind, he would have just followed me."

"We had everything under control!"

"You were going to be _eaten_ if it wasn't for me and my gun!" Danni snapped back. "What do you want me to do? Apologise for saving your life?"

Her inability to see that what she had done was wrong infuriated Amy all the more. Seeing Danni, gun in hand, being so blasé with life wasn't the granddaughter Amy remembered and it frightened her more than she realised. When she was younger, she was better at being dropped in head first into new situations, having her whole world turned upside down. Over a decade of calm, nice, normal family life seemed to have calmed her down as well. Maybe the Doctor had been right, after all. It wasn't just Tony who wasn't ready for adventure. She had forgotten how hard it was on everyone.

She didn't want to admit the Doctor was right, though. No one wanted to lose their youth and she didn't want to lose the love of travelling she'd always had. What she _wanted_ was for Danni to not put her son in danger. What she wanted was for Danni to not put their family in danger.

"I want you to not put my family in danger!" Amy shouted. Danni's hearts stopped, the devastation washing over her at the clear divide in her words. Rory stepped towards his wife.

"That's enough, Amy," he warned her lowly and slightly angry. "She wasn't trying to hurt him, you know that."

Amy growled, frustrated. "You know what I mean!" she protested.

Danni swallowed hard. Amy's eyes were hard and furious as she stared her down. Hers stung as she tried not to cry. Amy's words hurt more than she expected. "No, no, it's fine," she replied quietly. She took a step away from the family, turning and wiping her hand across her mouth. "The-The pyramid seems to be a fake," she explained. She held onto her gun tightly. "Behind the stone was solid metal, and the hallway that led me here was lit with LED lights. It's old technology, but there must be power in the middle. I suspect whoever owns this place is setting these monsters on anyone breaking in."

"Like their own personal guard dogs," the Doctor finished for her, realising they were both coming to the same conclusion. He stepped closer to her, brows furrowed as his mind worked over. "There is power, but the tent city outside had its own generators, which means the power in the middle isn't native to the surroundings." He took hold of her hand, loosening her grip on the gun. He wanted her to feel comforted, but he also wanted it away from her. She'd killed enough already. "Why would a pyramid need power? Why would they need power then dispose of a perfectly good engine?"

"Engine?" she repeated.

"There was an engine found in the halls, a hundred years old and in perfect condition. Why dispose of something that can generate power for you?" He linked his fingers with hers, putting the gun back in her pocket. She held onto him tightly.

"Power would suggest they have their own engine," she offered. "Perhaps they just needed the fuel from it?"

"If they have the fuel then why not just leave?" the guard offered. "And the Doctor is right, we have generators. Why not just take them?"

Danni looked over at him. "What's your name?"

"Dafydd," he offered.

"Nice to meet you, Dafydd." She turned back to the Doctor. "They are both very good questions. What do they want if they don't want the fuel to leave?"

The Doctor didn't really have an answer for that. He did have a choice few words for his former companion, who didn't seem to care the hurt her words had caused his wife, but he held himself back for now. "Maybe we should ask them," he suggested. "Do you know which way to go, my Pet?"

She shook her head. "Not the direction I came from," was all she could give him.

He smirked slightly. "No plan, no direction, no idea what is going on," he listed off. "Just a normal day for us." He started to lead her out of the room. "Come along, Ponds!"

"You've been waiting centuries to say that again, haven't you?" Danni asked him.

"Of course not."

Rory grabbed hold of Amy's arm before she could start to follow. "What was that about?" he asked her. "She _is_ our family."

Amy shifted, feeling guilty. "I didn't mean that. I was just so frustrated that the words jumbled in my head," she explained. "You've seen her, Rory. The woman who came in just then, guns blazing, wasn't Danni."

"But she is," Rory pointed out. "She's been though a lot, Amy. We all have. Are we the same people we used to be?"

"I can't just sit back," Amy replied. "The Doctor was always the same. They live so long that when they travel alone for too long they forget the parts of themselves that they like the most. Danni has never stood for the death of anything. She's forgotten that. I'm not going to let our granddaughter become a person she hates."

Rory watched Amy storm after the Doctor and Danni, a woman with a mission in her head that she hadn't been sure she'd had until that moment. Tony looked up at his father.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Danni said I was like you," he said. "I'm glad."

Rory was both surprised and touched. "Really?"

"Well, yeah," Tony said like it made all the sense in the world. "Mom's terrifying."

Rory opened his mouth to protest on behalf of his wife, but Amy had always been terrifying. It was one of the many things that had attracted him to her when they were young. "Come on, we don't want to be left behind," he said instead, nudging his son towards the door. "The quicker they work out what's going on, the quicker we can get home."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _This so isn't going the way I thought it would, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway! The Doctor may not have confronted Amy, but don't think it's not coming :D_

 _Also, I don't know how many of you are interested, but I'm trying to get better at image manips and other things like that, so check my Tumblr if that's your kind of thing._

 _Reviews!_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- Hehe I'm glad you liked it sweetie! x_

 _ **BlueFlame27** \- Thanks, sweetie! I want to try and get more of the Ponds and Danni's family in, but neither of them are great at visiting!_

 _ **setsuna1415** \- She doesn't jump anymore, so we won't be getting Thirteen until I reach Season 11 in the story. However, there is a little drabble in the Outtakes and if I get any more little plot bunnies I'll post there :)_

 _ **bored411** \- Hope this worked for you, sweetie!_

 _ **Rosealyn** \- Thanks sweetie! Hope you enjoyed this one :)_

 _ **sam** \- Thanks! If I get any more drabble ideas they will be going in the Outtakes, but my spare time is pretty full right now and I don't know when that will be. I'm more than happy to take any prompts/headcanon ideas on my Tumblr but, again, I can't promise that they'll get written._


	42. A Reason

Danni's feelings were all over the place, which was not something she could handle right now. Amy's words echoed in her mind like a record, joining the mass of other words that kept her closed off from the world around her. Missy's words that had, over so many years, picked and picked at her until she'd just shut off, felt like they had very much been validated. Her family _didn't_ care. They _were_ better off without her. She really shouldn't have tried escaping on her own. Maybe she had been better staying off with Missy.

As they walked through the hallway of the pyramid, she was very glad that the Doctor was by her side. She was very aware that he'd deliberately removed the gun from her hand but she was more than happy for him to do so. His thumb kept lightly brushing over the back of her hand, like he was reminding her that she was holding his hand, like the comfort was there for her if she needed it. She couldn't quite take it yet, she couldn't quite let him make her feel better, but she kept hold of his hand because she didn't want him to disappear again.

She'd told Tony about how much bigger she and the Doctor were compared to most things. She hadn't meant it in an egotistical way, it just kind of… _was_. She'd accepted it a long time ago. Or, she had thought she had. She hadn't expected Amy's words to cut quite so deep. She hadn't thought that was how the people she loved saw her, not really. Maybe she still wasn't quite over being part Time Lord. It had been centuries, how was it still bothering her _so_ much?

"Do we know where we're heading?" Dafydd asked as they continued down the never-ending hallways.

"Not usually. We tend to work better that way," Danni offered him. The Doctor nodded in agreement.

"Knowing what I'm doing slows me down," he explained, like it made a lot of sense. "I've been told I work better in the moment." He looked down at his wife. "Did you see anything on your trip down to us?"

She shook her head. "Just the hallway," she explained. "It was pitch black when I accidently opened the door, but when I sonicked it the emergency lights came on. I'm guessing there is some sort of generator, something that needs to be activated to save power. But not enough to get them off the ground."

"You still think that it's a spaceship?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Spaceship, shuttle, station. Whatever it is shouldn't be on this planet but is," she replied. "How do we get it to leave before anyone else dies?"

"You assume someone has died?" the Doctor asked, curious.

"Why else would they march a Time Lord and his in-laws from a blue box in a desert?" she countered. She smiled smugly at his slight look of surprise. "This isn't my first go around the track, Spaceman," she retorted. "I know a good, old fashioned alien invasion when I see one. We'll handle it. We always do."

He came to a stop, turning them both around so they were facing each other. "Really?" he asked. "That much faith in us?"

"That much faith in _you_ ," she corrected cheekily. "I'm just here to be the eye candy for those too stupid enough to see you instead."

"That you are, my Pet," he purred, pulling her closer. "Smart and gorgeous. How did I get so lucky?" She giggled in delight as he then walked her backwards, pressing her up against the cold metal wall. His lips descended on hers and she closed her eyes, holding onto him tightly.

Rory groaned to himself. "I thought I'd never have to see that again," he muttered. He grabbed Tony, covering his eyes with his hand. "Keep walking forward. I'll tell you when it's safe to look."

"Dad!" Tony moaned in annoyance. "It's just kissing!"

"No, it's really not," he replied, doing his best to not look. "Keep walking."

Tony dragged his feet slightly, but did as he said. Dafydd looked at the couple, who had completely checked out of the situation at hand, absolutely baffled. "Do they do that often?"

"Too often," Amy snapped. "Oi! There's a child here! Not to mention the monsters trying to eat us!"

Danni's change in demeanour was almost instance. The Doctor closed his lips on hers a couple of times, ending the kiss slowly and gently. He then rested his forehead on hers. "She didn't mean it," he whispered softly.

Danni didn't reply. She didn't immediately contradict him, or agree with him, which meant that it was affecting her too much for her to confront. Instead she gave him another quick kiss and slipped out of his arms but he didn't let her go far. He took hold of her hand again and they continued to walk.

Tony didn't feel like complaining about the walking again. After what he had been through, it was quite nice to calmly head through rather uniform hallways, that even though they were dimly lit, they still had lights. Lights, and a solid floor, and nothing trying to eat them. He wasn't even annoyed by the fact that everyone was making sure he was kept in the _very middle_ of the group, with the guard and the Doctor and Danni in front of him and his parents behind him.

"I'm sorry," he said, much to everyone's confusion. "I didn't mean to get us all trapped in a pyramid."

"None of this is your fault," Danni replied. "Maybe don't have a tantrum next time and hit the controls, though."

He nodded. "I don't know how you can do this all the time," he continued. "It's so scary it must be really tiring."

"It is," the Doctor confirmed. "But if we don't do it, who will? And, sometimes, you see something so amazing the bad stuff gets washed away."

"There's a planet where every single plant shines like glitter on the grass. Beautiful yellow grass that's always soft under foot. There's rarely any noise because no animals live on it, just a few insects. You can lie on the grass, looking up at the bluest of blue skies, and still see the stars overhead," Danni told him. "It's the most peaceful place I've ever been to. It's absolutely stunning, and for every monster in a pyramid, there's a planet just like that."

Tony considered that for a moment. "We did go to some amazing places," Rory added. "It wasn't always death and destruction."

"Not that I was trying for that," the Doctor pointed out.

"Can you stop trying to sell the TARDIS to our son?" Amy asked. "That's how we got into this mess in the first place."

It was weird for all of them, Amy included, for the red-head to be protesting travelling in the TARDIS. She had made her choice but, at the same time, the choice had only been there because of her. The Doctor pulled Danni closer as he felt her physically react to Amy's words.

"We're trying to save you _and_ your son," he retorted. "And I'd be thankful if you watch your tone around my wife."

"Doctor, don't," Danni said in warning.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Amy asked, indignant.

"You know exactly what it means, Amelia," the Doctor replied firmly.

Amy stopped. "No, I don't," she challenged. The Doctor did the same, shooting her an angry look. "What do you mean, Doctor?"

"We are in a pyramid that is trying to kill us. Perhaps petty squabbling is a thing left until _after_ we're safe, don't you think?"

"No, I don't," Amy said yet again and the Doctor sighed in frustration.

"You are being contradictory just to start an argument," the Doctor said lowly. "I am not arguing with you here, Amelia. Your grievances are not important right now, nor is your want for everyone to fit into these nice, neat boxes in your head."

Danni recognised the look on his face. His anger was beginning to bubble over. "Doctor, stop," she told him. "You're going to start a fight and we have bigger issues than this."

He regarded his wife for a moment, the way she looked as closed off and irate as she had when she'd first found him again, and realised that she truly believed that. That Amy's attitude towards her, that _she,_ wasn't important. He shook his head once. "No, this is important," he told her.

"No, it really isn't," she snapped. "What is important is that this pyramid is attacking us for some reason and we don't know why. Once we get everyone out then feel free to start a war with your fellow Scotsman, but for now, we _have_ to move!"

"If he has something to say, he should say it," Amy said angrily. "It's not like we wanted to come here anyway!"

"Mom, will you stop it?" Tony cried, finally pulling his mother's attention back to him. He knew once she started ranting it was hard to stop her, especially if she was feeling attacked. "She's right! The floors rumbling again."

The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed and he stood perfectly still for a moment. "He's right. Something's coming," he told them. "From behind us. Move."

He reached out to grab Danni's hand, but she'd already taken her gun out and was quickly heading to the back of the group. "Everyone move," she instructed. "Follow Dafydd and keep heading into the pyramid."

Rory wanted to protest heading into the pyramid, because it seemed like a stupid idea and he was right, but he ushered his son and his wife forward. "Come on, keep moving," he encouraged Tony lightly. "It'll be over before you know it."

"What is their problem?" Amy asked him quietly as they began quickly moving ahead. "Did they both regenerate grumpy, or what?"

"I think it has something to do with you implying Danni wasn't part of the family," Rory told her.

"No, I didn't," Amy retorted. He looked at his wife, trying to see if she was serious or not.

"Yes, you did," Tony spoke up. He glanced back to see Danni and the Doctor getting further away. "It was really crappy, mom."

"Hey, watch your language," Rory scolded. "He's right, though. She's family, Amy. Of course she is."

"I didn't say that!" she protested before hesitating slightly, her anger seemingly fading away for a moment. "It wasn't what I meant. She's not behaving right!"

"She seems the same to me," Tony told his mother. "She's hurt, sad and scared. I'm not sure how else you're expecting her to act."

"Like… Well, like Danni!" she said.

"That _is_ Danni," Rory said. "We've all changed, Amy. Maybe that's what's scaring you."

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor watched the Ponds scuttle off, making sure they were safely behind the guard sent to babysit them, before stepping by Danni's side. "Sorry," he told her. "I believe I may have upset you."

"No, I'm fine," Danni said shortly. He had stood up for her, why would she upset? Why _was_ she upset?

She pulled out her screwdriver and pointed it down the hallway. "Have you tried scanning them? I only found organic tissue, maybe one of your apps might pick up something else?"

He took out his sunglasses and popped them, pushing them up his nose. "You scanned them?"

"Of course," she replied. "You didn't?"

"I was busy running for my life with your grandparents. I didn't have the chance," he retorted. He set off the sonic sunglasses, watching the readings flash in front of his vision. "Should have, though," he admitted. "It was a bit of an oversight."

"Well, you're bound to forget stuff in your old age," Danni shot back teasingly. "Have they eaten a lot of people?"

"A dozen or so, perhaps," the Doctor offered. "Why?"

"I was just wondering how hungry they might be. If they've been trapped in here for a while, a dozen or so people might not be enough." She looked at the results of her sonic screwdriver, but there was nothing new. Just organic, so not genetically engineered, and all one species. Whatever was coming towards them wasn't something that she had encountered before. "Anything?"

The Doctor shook his head, taking off the glasses. "I think they're just our basic, common-or-garden monsters," he replied. "We'd better start running, my Pet."

"Definitely," she agreed. With her free hand she grabbed his. They ran together, as they always should, until they caught up with the Ponds.

"Where are we heading?" Dafydd called from the front of the group.

"Away from the Bellymaw, really," the Doctor replied.

"The hallways are getting more uniform. We've not hit a crossing in a while. I think we're finally getting to the centre," Danni continued.

"And whatever is in the centre is the key to getting out of here?" Rory asked.

Danni shared a look with her husband. That's what they were both hoping for, but neither of them really knew what was around the corner. That was the thing with the adventures. Sometimes they seemed a bit predictable – angry monsters trying to kill everyone, for example – but ultimately, they never really knew what was going to happen. They didn't know if the middle of the pyramid held all of the answers, or it was just the middle of a pyramid?

Danni grabbed onto her husband tightly as the whole hallway shook, knocking Tony down off his feet and sand to fall from the stones.

"What was that?" Rory asked as a loud roar reverberated off the walls around them.

"I suspect our friends are tired of chasing us," the Doctor said. The rumbling of many footsteps caused the pyramid to shake even more. "I suggest moving."

Everyone agreed and, once Tony was back on his face and mothered by Amy for a moment, they picked up the pace. The roaring moved ever closer, but fortunately they were coming up to another room to hide in.

"In here!" Danni shouted. She opened the door first, letting everyone in before darting in herself. The Doctor slammed the door shut behind them, using his glasses to lock it. "That should keep them out for a while," he said with a bit of a pant. He turned just as Danni used her own sonic to turn the lights on, showing them exactly where they'd run into.

The room was incredibly ornate, contrasting with the rather basic and uniform corridors they had run through. The walls shone with gold and treasure was displayed on every surface. On the far side was another computer, this one much larger than the one Tony had encountered, with multiple screens and a throne instead of a deck chair. There was only one other door out on the other wall and Dafydd quickly moved over to it to make sure it was secure.

"It's the control room," Danni breathed, stepping further in. All the shiny objects were calling to her. Perhaps she could find something small to sneak out when they left. No one would miss them, would they?

Rory, who hadn't moved from the door, stepped closer. "I-I think they're leaving," he commented. "That's good, right?"

"I shouldn't think so," Danni muttered. She walked over to a large cabinet that stood against the wall next to the control system, looking over all the of trinkets it contained. Golden birds with jewels embedded in the wings. High quality jewelled eggs. "Oh my," she breathed, opening it up to have a closer look at the tiara perched so delectably on a soft, velvet pillow. Who would leave _that_ just lying around?

"What makes you say that?"

"Because they're mindless, hungry monsters," the Doctor replied shortly. He, instead of looking at all the decadence around them, had headed straight to the controls. "They don't just give up and go home. Chances are we've been herded to exactly where the people in charge want us to be."

"Ah." Rory looked at the door. "Great. That's-That's great."

"What do we do?" Amy asked. She nudged Tony over to where the Doctor was, keeping him in the safest part of any room. "We can't stay in here, can we?"

"If we leave we'll just get eaten," the Doctor retorted. "I'm not looking to become someone's lunch, are you?" His fingers hovered over the controls. "This seems pretty basic."

Danni appeared next to him, tiara on her head. "Should be pretty easy to hack into, then," she said. "Perhaps we're not where they want us to be, perhaps we're where _they_ are supposed to be."

"Meaning?"

"The monsters—"

"Bellymaws."

"The _bellymaws_ haven't come in because, whoever was in charge, didn't want to be eaten by their own guard dogs," she finished.

Amy looked at her head. "Are you wearing a tiara?" she asked.

"Yes," Danni replied simply. "Want me to take a look?"

"What? Don't think the old man can cut it?" the Doctor retorted.

"I just thought you were better when there were switches and turny things," she replied teasingly. "Could be better to let the young people sort out the technology."

"I was a master of technology before you were even born," he muttered and she giggled.

"Well done for playing the old man card again," she replied.

He waved his arm grandly, stepping out of the way. "If you think you can do better, Danielle," he challenged. She grinned and cracked her fingers before typing the control keyboard expertly.

Rory and Dafydd had joined them at this point. "Does she really know what she's doing?" Rory asked tentatively.

"Your Danni may not have had computer skills, but this one does," she replied shortly. "I was trapped in computer simulations quite a lot, I know how to…" She grinned as the screens brought up the camera footage she'd assumed had been there. "Aha! See? Total pro, me!" She reached up, adjusting the tiara. "Totally keeping this," she murmured happily.

The camera seemed to be showing a live feed of the room. The Doctor held his hand up in the air, giving it a wave to see the delay. There wasn't much. He scanned over the multiple screens, using it to see if he could spot anything useful, or something that could give him a hint to what was happening here.

His eye immediately caught sight of something in the opposite corner of the room. He placed his hand on Danni's arm, giving it a rub. "Think you can find if anything was recorded?"

She shot him an incredulous look. "Of course I can," she retorted. "Give me a few minutes."

He pressed a kiss on her hair but she had already started searching for any sign of the videos. He turned and stalked over to the other corner, where tattered clothes were left discarded. He gingerly picked some up. It didn't look anything like Dafydd's uniform as it was a varying shade of brown but covered in blood

Rory crouched down next to the Doctor. "Is that…"

"The remains of our chaperones friends?" the Doctor finished. "I don't think so. I think these are remains of other people." He placed the cloth back down on the pile.

"Do you think they're walking around somewhere?"

He shook his head. "I suspect they were brought here by hungry monsters then eaten by them," he offered as an explanation.

"If they were in here before, does that mean they can get in again?"

It was a very good question, one that he didn't have an answer to. Rory glanced over at Amy, who was watching Danni with her head slightly tilted, observing her every move. Tony was watching as well, but he looked much more impressed.

"Amy… She didn't mean what she said," Rory said softly.

"Yes, she did," the Doctor said sharply. "And she is going to apologise. She will make it right. I don't need to tell you what Danielle has been through, she doesn't need to be dismissed by the people who are supposed to love her." He met Rory's gaze and the human blinked in surprise at the anger they held. "You are both very lucky that she cares about you. I would have never come back on my own. Danielle is what is keeping us all together."

"Doctor?" Danni called over, voice low. On the screen above her was a woman in a uniform. It wasn't unlike Dafydd's, but in a different style, complete with a helmet.

"Is that one of yours?" he asked Dafydd, who shook his head.

"I think she's the original crew," he replied. Danni pressed play and the woman started to move. She looked over her shoulder, talking to someone else out of shot before sitting down in the throne.

" _My name is Greta Jansson and my crew crash landed on this planet forty-three hours ago,"_ she explained. " _We were pulled down into the desert where we came across other wreckages and the pyramid. It was the only thing around for hundreds of miles, so we came in to investigate. I am telling you this because, if you are watching this video, you are the same. You have become lost in the maze, and I am not sure there is a way out for any of us._ "

"What?" Amy asked. She looked to her Raggedy Man. "She's not right, is she?"

He waved his hand, telling her to be quiet. " _This planet is pretty much deserted, but it wasn't always this way,"_ Greta continued. _"There used to be a group of people who lived here called the Farynites. Their civilisation is all but erased, but we found this room, like you have, and we searched. The Farynites didn't die out, they were wiped out. The people who brought this spaceship down to this planet wiped them out. And we are next_."

Danni reached out, pausing the video before the woman continued. She didn't say a word, staring at the screen as her blood ran cold. That was pretty ominous, and also not a good sign at all.

She felt the soft, almost timid, nudge of the Doctor in her mind and she desperately wanted to accept the comfort. Instead she threw up her walls and stepped away from the console. She didn't want him to see how scared she was. "Keep going," she muttered. "I'm going to look underneath."

She dropped to the floor, crawling underneath, pulling her screwdriver out. The Doctor didn't watch as he tried not to feel wounded at the way she pulled away. He knew she was still unlearning the defence mechanisms that she'd put up in place to keep herself safe, he just wished she would let him in. He really needed the comfort as well.

" _The creatures that landed here believed themselves to be gods,"_ Greta continued when he started the video again _. "They demanded sacrifice and the Farynites were willing to pay that price for bountiful harvests and workable weathers. However, they became greedy, wishing to be fed. When the Farynites started to dwindle in numbers and the sacrifices stopped coming, they went looking instead. The monsters you have come across are not just monsters, they are the Farynites. They were designed to find food and bring it to their masters. They have been here ever since."_

There was a clatter from underneath the console. " _No_ ," Danni breathed, horrified. She'd shot the monsters, she'd _killed_ them and they were just people. They'd been trapped, converted, forced to do what they were programmed to do, not what they wanted. She'd _killed_ them.

" _They led us here and they led you here as well. But there are no masters left. They've been left to rot and we…"_ She looked to her crew. " _We think their masters were trying to fuel their ship. The monsters, they've brought all of the parts here even though there is no one left."_

"Fuel?" Rory repeated. The Doctor was already looking over the console, using his glasses to pull up the readings.

"I think that the monsters were bringing the engine down here. The ship only has half a tank of fuel." He took the glasses off but held them in one hand. "The bellymaws won't know to stop. They're just doing what they were told to."

"The engine was as old as the missing crew were," Dafydd said. "Were they dormant until we turned up? Is that why the engine was so close to the surface?" The Doctor nodded, pointing at him in agreement.

" _We are leaving this message because we have no other choice but to run. There is a hidden door to the side of these controls. We are heading out this way and we suggest you do too. We wish you all the best, and hope that we all survive. Take care._ " Greta's hands hovered in front of the camera for a moment before she turned it off. The screen went black for a moment before the live feed of the control room flickered back on.

The Doctor immediately crouched down by his wife, who was still underneath the console. "Danni, come out," he instructed as kindly as he could. "I know what you're thinking…"

"I'm fine!" she snapped back. "I'm fine. There's something here. Give me a moment!"

He ran a hand over his face in exasperation. "Danielle, please," he tried. "I know you're scared."

She turned around underneath the console, her face suddenly appearing with a look of anger. "Do you?" she challenged harshly. She met his gaze, expecting an argument, but just saw fear and hurt at her words. She deflated slightly. He was just trying to help and she was taking out her fear on him. She scooted forward, smiling softly. "There is something under here," she told him again, this time softly. "I need to get it out." She leant forward and pressed her forehead against his. "I won't be a moment."

Across the room Tony turned to his mother. "Mom?" he asked, his voice small. She immediately wrapped him up in her arms.

"Everything's okay," she promised her son. "Me and your father trust them both. We'll get out."

Above his head she shared a look with Rory, who looked just as dubious as she felt. When she was younger, she would have meant her words wholeheartedly, but she had learnt that her Raggedy Man wasn't as infallible as she had once thought. She watched as Danni reappeared from underneath the console, something in her hand.

"It's a hard drive," she told her husband. "It wasn't connected into anything, which makes me think there's something on here that they're trying to hide."

The Doctor agreed wholeheartedly and set to work the moment she'd plugged it into the console. His fingers were quick on the various keys until he pulled up a 3D map of the pyramid. "That's interesting," he declared. "Look, this is the path we came in from." He pointed to the screen and the rather long and convoluted path that ran right around the pyramid, turning off in multiple directions as if to confuse anyone who was walking through it. "And _this_ is the door that Greta left through."

That path was straight forward, with no twists and turns. It just went straight up, like a winding staircase. "That would have been a lot more convenient," Danni muttered. "We came in the back and it make no sense at all."

"Neither did the front entrance," the Doctor replied.

"If Greta left out that door, why didn't they survive?" Tony asked, which was a very good question.

The Doctor pulled out his sunglasses again and, after a moment of fine tuning, brought up the heat signatures from throughout the pyramid. There were a few dotted around the entire structure, with none lining the exit. He pulled them off again. "I have absolutely no idea," he replied.

"If they're avoiding the way out, what's there instead?" Rory asked, as optimistic as ever.

"We'll we're about to find out," the Doctor declared. "Straight out and up, correct?" Danni nodded.

"Few minutes, tops," she agreed.

"We'll get out, get the Ponds back to the TARDIS, and then come back and figure out what is going on."

"Wait, you're coming back?" Tony asked, alarmed. "But there's things in here that want to eat you! It's too dangerous!"

"The TARDIS is being held in place by something in this pyramid," the Doctor explained. "We can't get you or your parents home until we figure it out. Now." He started ushering everyone towards the door. "Dafydd, if you don't mind."

Dafydd rolled his eyes but complied with the Doctor's command, heading out of the door first. The hallway was just the same as the rest of the underside of the pyramid and, after doing a quick check, he gave the all clear. "There's nothing but stairs," he called.

"Well, then, off we go!" the Doctor said, clapping his hands together sarcastically. "Always the fun part of any adventure; the walking."

"Oh, hush," Danni told him. She took his hand. "We'll get back to the life-threatening running in no time."

Just as they headed out of the door, Danni paused, reaching up to her head. She had the tiara, that was what mattered, but she let go of the Doctor's hand. "We forgot the hard drive," she told him. "If we can run it through the TARDIS we might get something useful from it." She leant up, pressing a kiss on his cheek, and hurried back inside the room. She grabbed the hard drive and pulled it out.

Immediately the door slammed shut behind her, cutting her off from the rest of the group. "Doctor!" she cried, banging on the door.

" _Danni!"_ he shouted back.

" _Danni!"_ Amy joined in. " _Are you okay?_ "

"I'm fine!" she replied. She tried to open the door. "I can't get the door open!"

The whole pyramid began to rumble, shaking as if it was coming to life and she realised that the door being closed was the least of their problems. She rushed back over to the console to see a face take over every screen.

" _You have displeased us!"_ the voice boomed, low and grand. Her eyes widened; she guessed this was the fake gods. " _Blood and horror will rain down on you for defiling our temple! Your souls will perish!"_

"That is not good," she muttered to herself. She pulled out her screwdriver and pointed it at the door, but it didn't budge. "Doctor!"

" _It's deadlocked!_ " the Doctor told her, shouting over the noise the pyramid was making. " _You're going to have to unlock it from your side!"_

She nodded. "Get everyone out! I'll be right behind you! _"_

" _We're not leaving you,_ " Amy told her firmly.

"Yes, you are," Danni snapped. "You have to take Tony and get out of here! I'll be right behind you!"

" _We're not going anywhere!_ " the Doctor confirmed.

"Yes, you are!" she repeated. "You need to get everyone out, Doctor. That's what we do! We save people! We keep them safe, so _do as you are told!"_

Back at the console, she stared at the controls, eyes scanning for anything she recognised. There wasn't a lot, really, passed the basic computer skills she'd picked up over the years. Hacking into the system had been most of her knowledge. Her fingers twitched nervously. What if she made everything worse?

No.

She shook her head, adjusting the tiara. She could do this. She knew what she was doing. Sort of. She began typing, working out the system, finding the menus and the options given rather unintuitive. She was sure it was just how the TARDIS was translating the words, but that didn't make it better.

She found herself looking at the weapons systems of the pyramid. Nothing particularly special, just some gas dispensers and some turrets, the sort of weapons she would expect for the space ship that was buried underneath the stone. But it was still enough to do serious damage to the tent village outside.

"Right, let's try and turn you off," she muttered. That ended up being a dead end, though, without the passwords for the override and not much time to try and crack them. The sonic screwdriver wasn't doing much good in that regard, either.

She quickly reconnected the hard drive, bringing up the map of the pyramid. Perhaps she could find another way out. One that would loop back to the exit to the pyramid.

Her eyes widened slightly in horror. The monsters – the _bellymaws_ – were very quickly heading towards the exit. Everything, like it always seemed to, was steadily getting worse and worse.

"What do I do? What do I do?" she whimpered. "What can I do now?"

The part of her that never swayed from Missy's side told her to run. To get out, and run, and never look back. She could kill any creature she came across and save her family. They could escape to the TARDIS and they would be fine.

The other part of her, the uncomfortable part, the one she tried to not listen to said that she couldn't just save her family. She had to save everyone she could. It was the part of her she'd squished down when she'd been trapped, and outright ignored when she'd been on the run. She didn't want to listen to it because that was the part of her that got herself killed.

But she couldn't just sit back.

She growled, angry at herself, as her brain quickly worked out a plan. She searched for the controls for the spaceship with the idea that if she could set it off to fly all that would be destroyed would be the pyramid itself. She could save everyone and, hopefully, get herself out of the room as she went. Send the ship into space, where it would float for all eternity, never hurting anyone again.

 _~0~0~0~_

" _Do as you are told!"_

That was the last word Danni gave them, and the Doctor found it incredibly frustrating. He couldn't just leave her in there. He had to work out a way to get her out, but being on the wrong side of the door made that very difficult.

His big brain also quickly latched onto the idea that now they'd left the main control room the bellymaws were going to start attacking again. Danni was, in that regard, the only safe one. He had a soldier and his extended family to worry about as well as Danni.

Part of him – a large part of him – wanted to leave everyone behind and save just his wife. The way his hearts ran and his panic rose reminded him too much of how he'd felt when he realised Missy had taken her in the first place. How she'd been right by his side and then just… just gone.

"Doctor, what do we do?" Amy asked him, seeing him floundering. It was a role she had fallen into a few times when they had travelled together; when he was feeling a bit overwhelmed, she pulled his attention back to her and it gave him something to focus on. Danni had done much the same when she had appeared.

The Doctor stared at Amelia Pond for a moment, supressing the overwhelming need to shout at her. Danni was showing off because she was feeling rejected. He shook his head.

"Follow the stairs up," he replied like it was obvious. "Tell everyone you see that they need to get as far away from the pyramid as they possibly can, then get back to the TARDIS."

"And you're going to save Danni, right?" she asked in reply. He nodded.

"I'm not leaving her behind," he said. "Amelia, I'm trusting you to get everyone else out. I'm not leaving without her."

With a nod, the four rushed up the stairs and the Doctor turned back to the door. He slipped his sunglasses on and turned back to the door.

"Come on, Doctor, this is what you're here for," he said to himself. "Stop the monsters and get the girl."

 _~0~0~0~_

It was with an almighty cheer that Danni managed to get the engines started. Her sonic screwdriver had been pretty much useless, so it had taken a lot of what she had learnt to break through the security to set everything in motion.

"Oh yeah!" she cried, turning around, looking for people to have seen what she had done and to praise her for it. Instead she remembered she was on her own. "Oh." Now, more than ever, she really understood why the Doctor liked having companions around; it was great to have someone to show off to.

Oh well, she could show off later. She still had to escape before the ship took off. She doubled her efforts before, finally, finding the correct command. She heard the door unlock and she punched the air just as the engines kicked into gear. She stumbled, falling into the console.

"Right, celebrate later, Fielding," she muttered. She rushed over to the door then glanced back at the walls. All the shiny things. All the wonderfully valuable, shiny things…

She growled as it took longer than it should have to open the door. The whole pyramid was starting to shake and she was certain that the outer layer of stone would have already started coming away.

The door did open, though, and on the other side stood the Doctor. "What are you doing here?" she cried, alarmed as he pulled his sunglasses off.

"I was waiting for you!" he shouted back over the rumbling.

"Why? Because you thought I couldn't do it?" she countered accusingly. "Or because you thought I was going to do something stupid?"

"No, of course not," he replied. "I wasn't going to leave you behind!" There was a loud rumble and Danni jumped. The Doctor reached out, grabbing her. "I promised I'd never leave you behind again!" he shouted over the roar of the engine. "You and me, Danni-Girl. To the end of time!"

She looked down at his hand, then up to his face. Everything about him said that he truly, honestly, meant every word and Danni couldn't help but grin widely in response. No matter what happened to her, she had always held onto the belief that she had someone waiting for her at the end. Amy couldn't see her and she was so afraid that the Doctor could only see Missy. But he didn't. He'd waited for her. He was always waiting for her.

She reached out, pulling him forward and into a searing kiss. He seemed a little surprised at first, but he quickly wrapped her up and held her close. Her chest ached happily and her hands threaded themselves into his hair. The world around them felt like it was trying to fade away, so she pulled back, but the Doctor wouldn't let her.

Then the pyramid shook and he had to hold onto her tightly to stop her falling to the ground. She glanced behind her at the door, pushing through the happy daze that he'd put her in.

Oh, yeah, the spaceship.

"Come on, Spaceman!" she said happily. "We've got to get out of here before it takes off!"

His wolfish grin just solidified the idea that he really was by her side. "Run!" he commanded and, hand in hand, they did just that.

 _~0~0~0~_

Outside was total chaos. The tents had been abandoned, naturally, and everyone was running away from the pyramid that was crumbling and collapsing. The Doctor and Danni broke out before the exit was blocked up by falling to stone to find the Pond family, along with Dafydd, stood there waiting.

Naturally.

"I told you to head back to the TARDIS," the Doctor shouted over the sound of the destruction.

"Yeah, I know," Amy replied.

"I have a face people listen to this time around!" he pointed out. "You're supposed to listen to me!"

Danni rolled her eyes. "No, you don't sweetie," she corrected.

"You listen to me!"

"That's because you're gorgeous," she retorted.

"What did you do?" Rory asked before the flirting could start. That would always lead to kissing and, with the immediate threat of a pyramid about to fall on top of them, it really needed to wait.

"I set the spaceship to take off," Danni explained. "It'll destroy the pyramid, which will stop people going in, and it will just keep flying until it runs out of fuel. Hopefully no one comes into contact with it until then, but there's not much I can do about that."

"That's really clever!" Tony exclaimed happily. "You're awesome."

"Well, yeah, I kinda am, aren't I?" she retorted. She looked back at the pyramid. "I couldn't save the bellymaws. Unfortunately, they're going to be trapped on there forever. There's always someone you can't save."

The Doctor saw the sadness on her face and knew that Amy did too by the way she couldn't stop staring at her. "Come on! We need to get back to the TARDIS."

Danni turned to Daffyd. "Thank you for your help. Sorry we couldn't save your friends."

"You saved everyone else," he replied, giving them a little nod. "I'm sure the Captain will be pleased to hear…"

Danni drew in some air through her teeth. "Yeah, about that…" She grinned, reaching out to take the Doctor's hand. "We were never here!"

 _~0~0~0~_

"It's such a shame," Tony commented from his perch on the stairs to the balcony above the console room.

"What is?" Amy asked as the Doctor turned the monitor on. He wanted to make sure the ship took off from the planet before he tried to fly them away.

"All that cool stuff in the pyramid was just blown up," he explained. "And no one is ever going to know."

"We'll know," Rory replied, wrapping his arm around his son's shoulder. It was amazing how relieved he was to get him back into the TARDIS. It made him feel rather bad for the period of time he'd travelled when his dad knew all about it. When they got back he'd make more of an effort to help him with the gardening.

"Yeah. Plus, Danni's got her tiara," his mother added. He glanced over at Danni, who looked rather pleased with herself. She adjusted the tiara happily.

"Well, there's that," the Time Lady agreed. She moved over to his side, reaching into his pocket. She pulled out a small golden beetle with red gems embedded in it. "Here, have this."

"Where did you get that?" Amy asked in surprise.

"Oh, I took it," Danni replied with a shrug. She pulled out a couple more small trinkets that had been too nice to leave behind. "What can I say? I can be sneaky when I try."

The Doctor, satisfied, tried to send the TARDIS into flight. As he expected she set off on the first try. "Why don't you stay the night?" he declared, moving away from the adventure they had and to address the elephant in the room. "One big, happy _family._ "

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Sorry for the long break between updates. I can't tell you the trouble I've been having even getting motivated to write. I think I'm just going through a longer-than-usual slump. It was bound to happen, but I hope you enjoy this anyway :)_

 _ **Authora97** \- Oh, Amy will apologise, the Doctor will make sure of it XD_

 _ **bored411** \- We're getting to the fluff, as you can see. I don't think Amy quite understood what she said actually meant. I think she'll get the message soon enough. Thanks, sweetie!_

 _ **sam** \- She has, hasn't she? XD_

 _ **Guest** \- I can't wait to get to Season 11. There is a little drabble up in the Outtakes right now which is set at the end of the Witchfinders if you're interested :)_

 _ **setsuna1415** \- Go for it! There's plenty to re-read haha!_


	43. Talking

"Stay-stay the night?" Danni stuttered out. She looked to Amy and Rory, who looked just as surprised at the suggestion as she felt. The Doctor never wanted anyone on the TARDIS longer than was necessary. His whole plan had been to take the Ponds back as soon as possible. "I-I don't know if they…"

"Can we?" Tony asked excitedly, cutting in before she could point at that Amy and Rory probably also just wanted to go home. Tony turned to his parents. "Can we? I'll be good and I won't pester about going _anywhere_ and it can be another birthday present. _Please_."

The Doctor clapped his hands together. "There. It's all settled." He nudged Danni forward with a hand on the small of her back. "Why not go see if the TARDIS can't whip him up a bedroom? I'm sure he'll want to see what she can create for him."

Tony was practically dancing on the spot, clinging onto the small beetle Danni had given him tightly with one hand as he reached out and grabbed Danni's other. She didn't have much of a choice but follow as he dragged her into the hallway. "Do you think she'll give me bunkbeds?" he asked as they disappeared from view. "And a television? I know someone who has two televisions, I want one too!"

The Doctor watched them leave with a smile on his face. "That'll keep him busy for a while," he commented.

Rory sighed. "I guess we're staying, then," he replied. The Doctor nodded.

"You're staying until you fix your mess," he said. His voice was light, but there was a definite edge to it.

"I thought that was what this was about," Rory muttered. Amy seemed confused.

"What mess?" she asked, looking between the two.

"You telling Danni she wasn't family," her husband reminded her. "Remember?"

"I told you; I didn't mean it like that!" Amy snapped. She turned to the Doctor. "She knows she's family. This is ridiculous!"

The Doctor's smile faded away. "Do you know how hard it was for Danni to come to you?" he replied. "She fought to get back to us. She _died_ trying to get back to us. If you do not want her to be part of your family that is _your_ right, but how dare you throw it in her face in an argument."

Amy was, understandably she felt, absolutely outraged. No one was listening to her and she hated being ignored. She had, over her life, lost too much of her family to count. Her mother and father were erased, her daughter stolen, and then she had to say goodbye to everyone she held dear to be with her husband. Her family meant everything to her, it always had.

"Don't you _dare_ suggest that I think of her as anything less than family," Amy raged. "You think you can gang up on me to make me apologise for something that didn't happen?"

"We're not ganging up on you," Rory replied, patient as always. "I just don't think you understand what you said might have actually hurt her."

"You two may be unable to comprehend this, but if Danni had a problem with what I said she would have said something," Amy snapped.

"No, she won't," the Doctor replied.

"Yes, she will!" Amy insisted. "We're family, yes, but we're also friends. If Danni felt like she needed to talk to me then she would. If something was wrong then she would have said. She didn't say, so nothing is wrong. You are being your stupid, overprotective self again."

He didn't know what to do. A large part of him was seething in rage. He knew that, in the past, he had been rather overprotective of Danni. But this wasn't him being overprotective, this was him standing up for his wife who was too wounded to stand up for herself.

"She wouldn't tell you a thing," he said. "You may think you are close, but she is frightened and she doesn't always fight back anymore. You might not be able to fit this into your wonderful, rose-tinted view of us, but she is _scared_ and you've just added to it."

Amy straightened, looking him dead in the eyes. "She isn't scared of me."

"She's scared of _everyone_ ," the Doctor exclaimed. "You don't- You don't have any idea, do you? She opened up to the Roman, do you know why she didn't tell you? Because she's _scared_." He pointed to the hallway. "Danielle is incredibly strong, but she is only one person. There is only so many knockbacks she can take. Hearing her oldest friend, her own grandmother, tell her she isn't welcome isn't something she can take and not fall down from it. You may not be able to see it, Amelia, but _I_ can. Her recklessness, her dismissive attitude, is just her hiding away."

"That's not her," she replied. "We're her family. She doesn't hide away from us."

"Yes, she does!" he exclaimed. "We change and she has changed. Just like I did before we met and I did again after you chose to leave. That is part of who we are, and if you cannot handle that, then you need to let her down gently. You may not be able to see the hurt you have caused but I see _everything_." He stood over her, eyes blazing. "Not all change is bad. Danielle is still my wife, she is still Melody's daughter. If _you_ cannot see that, then that is your problem, not hers. You are not leaving until you fix this."

Amy scoffed slightly. "You won't keep us here forever."

"There is nothing I won't do for Danielle," he warned her darkly. "Do not challenge me, Amy."

There had only been a couple of times in her life where the Doctor had genuinely scared Amy. The times where the anger wanted to make her step away. Where he couldn't hold it back and she knew she had just become someone in his way.

This was _not_ one of those times.

She stepped closer, poking him in the chest. "Don't you talk to me like that," she exclaimed. "I'm not just some alien threat you can threaten into doing what you want! She is _my_ granddaughter. I don't care that she's regenerated. I care that she'd not being herself and if you see everything, like you claim, then you should be able to see that too!" She growled in frustration. "So, Mr Raggedy Man, don't you dare put words in my mouth! She _is_ part of my family."

She didn't even look at her husband. "I'm going to find Tony!" she called as she stormed out. "When you want to apologise, come find me!"

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni didn't step into the console room. She peeked around the corner, checking to see if the coast was clear.

Amy had, rather forcefully, stormed into Tony's bedroom and declared that her husband was being an arse. Tony had rolled his eyes at her behaviour – proving that he was very much used to Amy's outbursts – and told her off for swearing. Danni took it as her cue to leave, otherwise she would have started laughing and something told her Amy wouldn't have appreciated it.

She also had a rather large inkling to why Amy had been so unhappy to begin with. The Doctor had, already, scolded her grandmother over her words. Danni didn't see the point but she knew what he was like. When she was showing Tony his room, she was sure he was arguing with Amy over her.

She didn't want to be the subject of any argument. She just wanted to be left alone. And, apparently, Amy's words might have suggested that was coming sooner rather than later. It was probably for the best. Who needed family when you had a magical blue box and an impossible husband?

She was avoiding him too. He was going to be all supportive and try to make her feel better. She didn't want that. She didn't feel bad. She just wanted to be on her own.

When she realised that the console room was empty, as was evident by the dimmed light, she stepped inside. She walked slowly to the middle of the room, dragging her fingers across the console to feel the metal underneath her fingers. Even now, even though she felt like she was past the point of feeling like she was in a simulation, she still liked to feel things with her own hands. She just wanted to make sure the things around her were solid and real.

Then she walked over to the TARDIS doors, opening them up to look at the space outside. When she had been young – _really_ young – sitting in the doorway and looking out in the cosmos was her favourite thing to do. Looking out into the universe and seeing how small she was used to be strangely comforting.

That wasn't really the case, now, but she still sat down and dangled her legs out. Now it was more of a place to look out and not think of anything at all. Being held in captivity for so long made everything incredibly beautiful to look at. She'd almost forgotten what true space looked like. It was surprisingly colourful considering it there was large expanses of black. She had no idea where they were floating, or when, but she spent some time plotting out paths of exploration, deciding that she'd visited a few planets in the distance with no knowledge at all about them.

Her mind was very much _not_ on the words Amy had snapped out when she was angry. She was thinking of not much at all.

Amy sat down next to her, dangling her legs out just like she was. "You still sit here, then?" she asked.

Danni shook her head. "Not really," she replied. "Wanted to try it on for size again. I probably should try it more."

The silence was incredibly tense and Danni _really_ wished Amy had just left her alone.

"And you're keeping the tiara?"

Danni's hand immediately went to the tiara in her brown hair, adjusting it slightly out of reflex. "It's a different one," she explained.

Amy frowned. "You have more than one tiara?"

"I like tiaras," Danni said, a little defensively. "I've got a little collection now. Ever since that one I wore on my birthday."

"Oh yeah," Amy replied with a fond smile on her face. "That said 'Birthday Girl' on it, didn't it?"

"How else was everyone supposed to know it was my birthday?" she countered. "I loved my birthday, everyone needed to be informed."

Amy laughed. "We got _so_ drunk that night," she said. "You made us sing so many songs."

" _I_ made us sing?" Danni retorted. "I believe I tried to get off the stage at the end, but you were insistent that we finished." She smiled slightly. "I haven't thought about that night in forever."

She looked out into the cosmos again. It had been so many centuries since she had been to karaoke with Amy. She'd only spent five or so years jumping around the Doctor's timeline, but she still vividly remembered the emotional and physical exhaustion of that time. Never knowing if the Doctor was going to love her or hate her. Trying not to think about jumping into the middle of the space that gave her comfort and suffocating. Wondering what was going to happen when she had reached the end of the Ponds.

"Missy used to make me travel around with her with a vortex manipulator, you know?" she told Amy. "Once I woke up and it wouldn't come off. I started panicking, tearing at my arm, doing lasting damage to myself, and she just laughed and laughed. She only took it off when I'd calmed myself down. She didn't try and help. She loved it."

Amy felt a lump in her throat as the fondness fell from her face and was replaced by actual pain. Pain she'd only ever seen in the Doctor's eyes before. "Even now, even after everything, I genuinely think that could be the worst thing that could ever happen to me, being forced to jump around anyone's timeline. I don't know how I survived and I don't know if I would again."

"Do you-Do you even remember it?" Amy asked. "It's been hundreds and hundreds of years for you, hasn't it?"

"I don't remember everything that happened," Danni explained. "But I remember the feeling. I remember the pain of the manipulator setting off and how it broke my heart to be settled and feeling secure only to know, just for a brief second, that it was about to be ripped to shreds. Jumping from being with the man you love when he loves you to when he wants you dead and back again was…" She swallowed hard. "I think it's why Missy would always mix him up when she played him in my head. To emulate that heartbreak. It had started to make me exhausted back then, when Missy did it, I just couldn't always fight back. She wanted to use it to break me."

Her question had been stupid, Amy knew that. She supposed she was just looking for a unrealistic reassurance that Danni hadn't been affected too deeply by her experiences. Deep down she had known her words had not come out correctly when she'd been shouting at Danni in the pyramid. She wasn't sure why she'd separated Danni from her family but she hadn't meant it. She would never mean that.

"Danni, look, about what I said…"

"You don't have to apologise," Danni interrupted, sensing where she was heading. She'd been expecting this conversation one way or another. "You were not wrong."

"Yes, I was," Amy insisted firmly. "You're part of this family. You always have been."

"I'm not. Because I'm not Danni," she replied. She looked down at her hands. "Or, rather, I'm not the right Danni. I don't- I don't feel like Danni. I feel like some imposter. Walking around in her shoes, taking her name, her place in history. I don't think I've felt like me since I regenerated." She looked up at Amy and smiled softly. "You always were very perceptive, Amelia. I'm not your family because I'm broken. I'm not _your_ Danni."

Amy didn't reply straight away. Instead she stared out into the cosmos, at the expanse of darkness filed with planets and stars. That hadn't been why the words had tumbled out of her mouth. She didn't look to Danni and see someone else. Listening to Danni reminiscing made her sound just like Amy had always known her; as a woman who valued her memories, the good and the bad. The Danni she had seen with the gun and the dismissive concern for Tony wasn't that same woman, but she had also seemed more uncomfortable.

"I don't believe that," she told Danni. "I don't believe you don't feel like yourself. I think you _do_ , and that's what scares you."

Danni frowned. "That doesn't make any sense," she stated.

"I think it does," Amy replied. "Being Danni has hurt you. Missy wanted you because you're Danni. Anything that reminds you of what she wanted hurts you so you push it down behind guns and snarky comments. So when something happens that makes you feel like who you actually are then you run as far away from it as you can."

"Or, maybe, being around her changed me enough that those parts of me are genuinely gone," Danni reasoned. "Maybe I like my gun just because I like it, not for some hidden reason."

Amy shook her head. "No, that's not it," she corrected. "Because you could have just saved yourself, but you saved all the people on that planet. I saw her; she was wearing a tiara and showing everybody she was just as smart, if not smarter, than people give her credit for. She went for her husband's hand rather than the gun, and she was the only one to ask the guard his name. What made me mad wasn't the fact that you're not like I remember you, it's that she's in there, screaming to get out and you're purposefully pushing back. That's why you think you wouldn't survive jumping around the Doctor's timeline again. Because you know you would, because you always survive, and I think that's what making you run headfirst into situations without thinking. You don't want to survive because Danni Fielding always survives."

What was Danni supposed to say to that? She knew Amy was right, deep down, but she didn't want to admit it. To admit that she wasn't acting like herself meant that everything she had done wasn't who she wanted to be.

Amy just seemed rather smug at her silence, though. "Hey, guess what?"

"What?

Amy grinned, nudging her with her shoulder. "Gotcha."

And Danni laughed.

 _~0~0~0~_

"Was he hard on you?" Danni asked Amy. They'd moved slightly. While still in the doorway, they were now sitting back to back. Amy found it a little harder than Danni to fit into the area, but she wasn't _that_ old. She refused to be beaten by a doorway.

"Your husband?" Amy asked and Danni nodded. "Oh, he went all 'Oncoming Storm' on me. Tried to scare me into submission."

"And it didn't work?"

Amy snorted. "He's never scared me," she replied boldly. "He thinks he can but he forgets that I've seen him stroking the TARDIS when he thinks no-one's looking."

"People who know him know that, most of the time, he's not a threat," Danni replied. "It's just that one time when you know he's angry you've got to be afraid. Once you've seen it, you're never scared of him again."

"Usually that happens because of you," Amy retorted pointedly. "Or because you're not there. You never saw him on Mercy. He missed you and _that_ was scary."

"Neither of us do well on our own," Danni replied. "Look what happens." She waved down herself, illustrating her point. "Once we have each other we're fine."

"And your friends," Amy added. "And your family."

They were silent for a moment, looking out at space and the stars. "Do you miss this?" Danni asked her. "The adventure and the sights?"

"All the time," Amy admitted guiltily. "But if I had to make the choice again, I'd still turn away from the Angel. I love my life. I've had a good life, and it's just going to get better."

"Yes, it really is," Danni said softly. She couldn't help but feel like, as she stared out of the TARDIS door with her grandmother, that it was really true. She was free and healing and she had everyone she loved in her life. It really was going to start getting better again.

There was only one thing missing.

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara picked up her handbag as there was another knock on the door. "Coming!" she called out, checking herself over in the mirror. This was quite a normal start to her mornings these days. If she was being driven to work rather than making her own way then the driver would come up to her flat to escort her down.

She wasn't sure how UNIT had access to her apartment building. At this point she'd given up trying to find out.

There was a third knock and she rolled her eyes. She still had plenty of time to get to work before she could even start to be considered late. Clara really didn't like being anything but punctual. It made it seem like she had complete control over her life, and even she thought the driver was being a bit _too_ paranoid.

She opened the door. "I'm here, I don't know what…"

She trailed off as, instead of her driver, she found Danni stood on the other side of the door. "Danni? I…" She suddenly realised she was going to be very late for work. "I didn't expect…"

Danni moved forward, hugging Clara close. Her grip was tight and Clara's worry moved from being late to her friend. She dropped her bag instantly, wrapping her up in a hug in return. She knew that Danni had been "Alright," she said softly. "You're okay, Danni-Girl."

Danni didn't let her go for the longest time because she really didn't want to. Throughout the entire time she'd been with the Ponds – from the moment she'd felt rather overwhelmed by the gang of children right up until she'd dropped them off – all she had wanted to do was go see Clara. She had just missed her terribly and being more open and honest with everyone had brought that right to the surface.

As much as she loved any hug with Danni, Clara was worried so immediately took charge. "Okay, loving the hug," she told her friend. "But let's go inside." She slowly detangled herself from her grasp. "I've got a cabinet and a broken tablet, both with your name on them."

Danni immediately brightened at the prospect of being able to build and fix things. She darted inside, looking for the items in question. Clara didn't tell her that she'd bought both the flat-packed cabinet and the broken tablet off the internet with Danni purely in mind. Instead she picked up her handbag from the floor and pulled her phone out.

 _Danni's here_.

She shot the text off to Kate before hanging her stuff back up and following Danni into the living room. She'd chosen the tablet first and was sat in the middle of the room like the giant child she was, cross-legged, already trying to take the back off it.

"It's a bit early for wine. Do we need tea?" Clara asked her. Danni nodded her head.

"And-And Coke," she said, gritting her teeth as she struggled with the plastic casing. "I like Coke now."

"I know, I've got some in," Clara said. "Do we need tea, though?"

"Probably," Danni replied. "I-I think you might- _what the hell?! Is this glued on?!"_

Clara headed to the kitchen to put the kettle on, but she paused when the door shut behind her. Her lips turned up into a smile. She hadn't seen the Doctor or Danni since the Zygon almost-invasion and she had missed them both _terribly_. Work was keeping her busy, but her time alone was just that; alone. She had friends, she had hobbies, she had days where she just watched TV and scrolled through the internet, but she missed wondering what her next adventure would be.

She made the right decision, though. She was becoming too harmful to herself and those around her, those she loved, and she was not going to help by being another source of worry for Danni. Seeing her chuck herself into fixing what was broken, or needed building, around her was just seeing her running away from fixing herself.

Plus, she _loved_ a hug from Danni. Both bodies she had known were wonderful to hug. So warm, and she could feel the shape of her body under her clothes just for a moment…

She cleared her throat as she felt her skin heat up. She didn't need to think about how she wanted to kiss her best friend. She did that enough after a couple glasses of wine. Now she needed to make the tea.

" _Clara!"_ Danni called through, also startling her. " _Do you have a spatula? Not the wooden ones, one of the plastic ones?"_

Clara frowned. "What do you need a spatula for?"

" _I-I want to get- I don't know what you've done to this tablet, Clara! I think the spatula will help."_

Clara chuckled to herself. Even when she was worried about Danni, she couldn't help but be slightly amused by her. "Fine!"

She took the spatula and the can of Coca Cola in first. Danni practically ripped it out of her hand and began jamming it into the edges of the tablet to try and get the back off. Clara fetched the tea, sitting down on the sofa and just watched Danni break apart the electronic device she'd bought for that very purpose.

"Where were you going?" Danni asked her suddenly, startling her out of her not-so-innocent thoughts.

"Oh, um, I thought I was supposed to be in work today," Clara lied. "I was rushing around but when you appeared and not the driver, I realised I just hadn't woken up properly."

"Good thing I came, then," she replied. "You get to spend the day staring at me like I have two heads, instead."

Clara didn't want to admit to what she had been thinking, so instead she threw the focus back on her friend. "You hugged me when I opened the door, with no 'hello' or anything," Clara reminded. "You're not- Well, you're not like that anymore, really."

Danni shrugged. "Maybe I am," she said softly. "Maybe I'm—" she trailed off, grunting as the back came off, _finally_. "Maybe I'm finally acting like myself, now."

"And you weren't before?" Clara countered, sounding a little incredulous. Danni shrugged.

"I don't know," she replied. "I mean, it's hard to believe that I wouldn't _want_ to be myself. I mean, I _am_ beautiful, charming, incredibly smart—"

"Okay, I get it."

"And you should see me dance. And, I've been told, that I'm an incredibly good kisser…"

" _Alright_!" Clara exclaimed, cutting her off more forcefully this time. She didn't want to think of Danni kissing anyone, especially considering it wasn't going to be her. "So, you're fantastic. I think we all know that."

Danni nodded along. "Exactly," she agreed. "I'm brilliant. Why _wouldn't_ I want to be myself?"

She looked down at the tablet in her hands, trying not to meet Clara's gaze and instead focused on all the little pieces that made the hand-held gadget. It seemed so incredibly basic compared to what she had become used to fixing, but that also was what held her attention. She did briefly wonder if that was what people who fixed up old cars felt like.

Clara could only watch her with furrowed brows, her mind running over what would make her voice go so soft. For a moment she looked almost ashamed, but she pushed it down as quickly as it came up.

"Does this tablet have AR?" she asked, turning the tablet around as if it would reveal some sort of secrets to her. "I'm not seeing the chip for it."

"I have absolutely no idea," Clara replied. "I doubt it, though. I bought it broken so you could fix it for me."

Danni looked at her like this was a revelation. "You can _buy_ them broken?" she asked, amazed. "Why on Earth would anyone buy them working? You're going to have nothing to do with them."

"Except, you know, _use_ them."

"Well, if you want to be boring," Danni muttered to herself. Clara shook her head.

"How long have you been this you?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Danni asked in reply. "Oh! You mean- Since I regenerated?" She looked to Clara for clarification. "Um… About forty years, I think. I don't know, I don't really keep track of time anymore." She pulled a face. "People put so much stock in time. It just gets in the way." She pointed the spatula at Clara. "Spend a large chunk of your life with nothing to do but wait and you'll realise that. Perhaps everyone should be captured for a while." She shook her head. "Nah, that's a terrible idea."

She spoke quickly, rambling the thoughts as they appeared in her brain and Clara let her get them all out. "You're only young, then, relatively," she said as if Danni had given her a simple answer. "In reality you're really old—"

Danni pointed the spatula at her again. "Oi!" she exclaimed. "I'm not the old one!" She turned back to the tablet. "The Doctor's the old one," she grumbled.

"But regeneration takes a while to get used to," Clara continued. "So, I really wouldn't put too much stock into what you're like now. You'll get it."

Danni felt a conversation coming that she really didn't want to have again. Everyone was trying to get her to open up and talk about her feelings, and each time it seemed to work and Danni hated it. It was scary and exhausting and she didn't want to fall into it yet again, especially because she knew Clara would get whatever information she wanted out of her.

"Yeah, totally," she replied with a little noise of dismissal. "The Doctor's _much_ older than me and he still has no idea. It's changes all the time."

She sounded incredibly unconvincing but Clara was kind and didn't point that out. She wasn't sure what had happened but Danni, even now, seemed unable to hide her mood from her. Clara had the feeling that she came to see her when she couldn't talk to the Doctor. It had been trailing off as well, which was both great and horrible. She wanted their marriage to strengthen after the horror of Missy, but she didn't want to lose Danni to that either. It was very confusing.

"You're still doing it," Danni said softly.

"What?"

"Staring at me like I have two heads," she clarified. Clara flushed slightly. She wasn't sure why she was staring so much. It went beyond concern. Maybe she needed to look into dating again. "Why does everyone do that? If they're not staring at me they're—" she pulled some wires out of the back of the tablet, "-they're avoiding me."

Clara frowned. "Who's avoiding you?"

"The Doctor," Danni replied. "But I'm not sure if that's because he shouted at Amy or because Amy convinced him that her worries about me were valid and he doesn't know how to process it."

"What does that mean?" Clara asked bluntly.

"Oh, Amy thinks I'm hiding my real self because Missy wanted Danni, so I don't want to be Danni anymore," she explained with an air of dismissal. "And, along with that fact that I told the Doctor I don't like myself, I suspect he's hiding from me so we don't have to talk about it anymore. Which I appreciate, to be honest. Even this is too much talking about it." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "He didn't really object to me coming here, which is very unusual considering how much he still doesn't like you."

"Thanks for that," Clara grumbled to herself.

"Hey, I don't like it either," she retorted. "You two the best thing in my life, I don't like you fighting." Danni said it so sincerely that Clara felt like all the breath left her body. "I pretend I fought to save myself, and that I was running to Jack and River and Amy with everyone else, but I wasn't. It was just you and the Doctor. I still…" She swallowed hard, realising she was rambling again. "I still can't get over you not being on the TARDIS, and I know it's selfish, but I never saw you… I never saw you not being part of my life." She shrugged. "Let's talk about something else," she declared. "Where's this cabinet of yours? I think I build this tablet into it and turn it into a smart wardrobe."

"A smart…" Clara started, confused before dismissing the question. Whatever it was, she was sure Danni would explain it afterwards. "I'm always going to be part of your life," she said. "Just because I don't travel with you anymore doesn't change that." Danni shrugged again, obviously quite uncomfortable with the conversation. "And you can tell your husband that," she said firmly. "While you still want me, I'm still here."

Danni did smile slightly at that. "Well, who can blame you?" she replied boldly. "Have I told you about how fantastic I am lately?"

"Yes, you have," Clara said. "How about you tell me about how fantastic _I_ am? Look at all the entertainment I buy you!"

"You know what would be entertaining?" Danni asked as Clara stood up to fetch the box with the cabinet inside. "A proper adventure. You know how many I've been on lately where I've had to pour my hearts out? I just want something simple. It's exhausting, I don't understand how you humans can be so emotional all the time."

"Yes, because we're the emotional ones," she said sarcastically. "Are you complaining that you don't' have to run for your life?"

"Says the woman who joined UNIT the moment she could," Danni countered. "Is it so much to ask for a monster trying to kill everyone rather than being thrown in the deep end with _feelings_?"

"Only you could want to actively be looking for something to kill you."

"I'm _not_ looking for something to kill me," Danni exclaimed. "I'm looking for something to _almost_ kill me. You know, your common-or-garden Dalek or something." She smiled to herself. "You know, we went to this garden before we went to Amy's. It was the second most beautiful garden in the universe. The Doctor wanted to show me all of these flowers, but as he was this plant-thing decided that the Doctor was just too delicious to not keep. It wanted to marry him." She looked positively furious for a moment. "My Doctor, _my_ Theta! Can you imagine?! How bloody dare it!"

"Uh huh," Clara said offhandedly as Danni began to rant and rave about how everything was after her husband. It was a little sickening, and only a little part of Clara wished she was talking that way about her instead of the Doctor.

It seemed like the universe always ignored Clara. It never listened to her when she begged for Danny Pink to come back, and it certainly hadn't listened when she begged for Danni Fielding to be safe and returned either. She'd asked for the Doctor when he had gone missing, and she'd asked for her mother when she had died too. Clara found that, more often than not, the universe never listened to her.

But, it seemed, it did listen to Danni.

Her phone ringing wasn't exactly surprising as she'd been expecting Kate to contact her about her brief text message. But the number wasn't one in her phone nor one she recognised. She picked it up, motioning to Danni to keep quiet.

"Hello?"

" _Clara? Finally, it's Rigsy."_

That was surprising. She'd almost forgotten the younger man existed. "Oh. Rigsy. Hey. How-How did you get this number?"

" _You gave it to me. Said it was for emergencies?_ "

She had given him the TARDIS phone number, which was immediately worrying. That meant that the TARDIS had re-routed the phone call to her.

"What's wrong?"

" _So I have this… er, it kind of looks like a tattoo."_

Clara frowned, glancing over at Danni, who seemed as concerned as she had felt a minute ago. "And-And that is an emergency?"

" _It's an emergency, trust me. Just… Just come and take a look at it. Please."_

"Look, no matter how bad it is, we cannot take you back down your timeline just to fix a tattoo."

"A tattoo?" Danni asked, her nose wrinkling up. "Clara, I know I used to be a pushover, but we're not a taxi service!"

She shushed Danni with a wave of her hand.

" _That's just it. I didn't get a tattoo,_ " Rigsy replied. " _And it's… It's counting down._ "

"Sorry, what?"

" _The tattoo. It's a number and it's counting down to zero._ "

Many things came to Clara's mind at that point. Like how she had absolutely _no_ idea what would cause a tattoo to mysteriously appear and what it could be counting down to. However, the main thing was that it sounded suspiciously like something she could show off to Danni.

"Hang tight. We'll be right there." She hung up the phone and turned to Danni. "So," she started leadingly. "Want to see something _really_ weird?"

Danni dropped the tablet immediately, jumping up off the floor. "I'll call the Doctor," she declared. "He can give us a lift."

For the first time in a while, Clara was actually excited. Her two best friends and their space ship were going to be properly in her life, even if it was just for one adventure. She had really, and truly, missed that.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _So... yeah, apologises. I just... I think you can tell how bad this is, but I was struggling and I just..._

 _Anyway._

 _Happy Holidays to everyone who is celebrating, and well-wishes to anyone who isn't either. I hope your lives are well._


	44. The Strange Tattoo

"Why am I here?"

"Because I asked you to be," Danni replied with a little bit of a sigh. She hadn't thought it would have been _this_ hard to get him to pick up her and Clara. And yet…

"You could have gone on your own," the Doctor said. "You don't need me holding your hand. You're incredibly capable."

"Yes, and your avoiding me," Danni snapped. He blinked, surprised and she sighed in exasperation. "Oh, don't give me that look, Theta! It's been nonstop for days because you don't want to be alone with me!"

"That's not true," he snapped back. "I-I've been giving you space."

"Which is just Doctor code for 'I'm avoiding you'," she pointed out. "It's a tattoo that changes! A tattoo that he doesn't remember getting and one that keeps changing. Why aren't you more excited?"

"Because!" was his grand reply. He was pacing around the console, away from her, so she continued to follow him around. It was what he did when they were having a disagreement. She didn't press the subject, just stared pointedly, waiting for an explanation, until he sighed heavily. "Does she have to come with us?"

"Yes," Danni said firmly. "Because, beyond being my best friend, she's the one that the TARDIS re-routed the phone call to. You'd be an idiot to ignore that."

"Well, maybe I'm an idiot," he said, looking like a pouting child. He seemed to notice the exasperated look his wife was shooting his way, though. "Why is she giving out our number, anyway?"

"She didn't just give it to him. I told her to," Danni lied. She actually would have to have a word with Clara about that after this was all over. She didn't appreciate random people having their phone number. She was going to have to get a list. "Rigsy was a good lad and I thought, should anything like the Boneless appear again, we needed to know about it."

"Fine," the Doctor grumbled. "Go get her. _But,"_ he pointed at her, "she doesn't stand too close to me."

"Yes, sweetie, I know the rules," she replied. She looked over her husband, who sounded like a child with his demands. And yet, in that jacket and shirt, his hair the perfect length…

She walked over to him, slowly straightening the lapels on the jacket. "Have I told you lately how much I love you in this jacket?" she asked with no air of innocence at all.

"No," he replied, happily letting her step even closer to him. "Have I told you how much I love you in that skirt?"

And, like they always had done, they found themselves kissing in the middle of the console room, with no regard to Rigsy and his plight. No matter what problems came their way, or how hard they tried to avoid upsetting each other by actually talking about them, there was always time for snogging in their blue box.

"You know," Danni said lowly. "I explicitly told Clara to not come in until I'd convinced you it was a good idea."

He nodded, unable to keep his lips off hers for more than a moment. "I-I need," he groaned, letting her back him up into the console. "I need a lot of convincing."

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara was pacing outside the TARDIS, chewing on her thumbnail, a little nervous as to the Doctor's reaction to Danni's request. She really wanted to go help Rigsy, to save people and not have to do it by the book. She also _really_ wanted to make peace with the Doctor. She wasn't expecting a miracle, but maybe with Danni's help he might not actively hate her so much…

Her eyes widened as a giggle came from TARDIS.

"Really?" she exclaimed, walking very far away from the TARDIS and into the kitchen, which wasn't quite far away enough for her to not think about what the pair were doing.

It really was the _worst_ thing.

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni poked her head out of the TARDIS. "Clara!" she called, running her hand through her hair. Her friend was nowhere to be seen. "Clara?"

She stepped out and headed through the flat, looking into each room before she reached Clara's bedroom. The woman was sat on the bed and looked at her with a raised eyebrow when she walked in. "He's avoiding you, is he?" she asked, a little sharply. They had been _so_ long, and Clara couldn't stop thinking about them both.

Danni shrugged. "What can I say? Have you seen me?" she retorted. "No one can avoid this for long."

Clara stood up, trying not to let her own frustration show. She'd had to go to the farthest part of the her flat away from the TARDIS to even be able to sit still. Sometimes she really hated being in love with her best friend. "Well, I'm sure I've told you to not do… _that_ around me," she scolded.

"I know, I'm sorry," she replied, trying to sound as apologetic as she could. "But, on the plus side, I managed to convince him to take both of us to see Rigsy. So, it all worked out for everyone!"

"Yeah, everyone," Clara muttered to herself.

Stepping back onto the TARDIS turned out to be much harder than she had anticipated. She looked around and saw all of her memories of travelling through the universe with the two Time Lords, the good and the bad. She saw Danny Pink becoming increasingly angry at the lies she'd told him, and she saw the place she'd woken up when she'd thought she'd killed Danni. The console was repaired from when the Doctor had smashed it to pieces but she could hear the anger in his voice still echoing in her head when she'd tried to clean up after him.

And she also knew that, now they were travelling on their own, they'd be a little less discreet. She kept slightly away from the console as those images joined everything else.

The Doctor looked over at his wife as she let Clara in. She looked so happy, happier than he'd seen her since the Ponds, and he knew that was because Clara was there. He, on the other hand, could feel his grumpiness rising just at the sight of her. He still wasn't over the hurt of her turning on them both and the damage that came from that. And, as ridiculous as he knew it was, it hurt him that Danni would still go to her when she was feeling overwhelmed, sometimes even over himself. He knew that, realistically, people had friends and family outside their marriages, much like he did. It was just the old, selfish and jealous part of himself that noticed how close the two were standing, even though Danielle was completely oblivious to the way Clara looked at her.

"I told him we'd be there over an hour ago," Clara reminded her friend pointedly.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Time machine," he reminded. "I'm sure that whatever drunken adventure your little friend has been on could have waited five minutes for you to get there."

"Doctor," Danni warned lightly. She moved over to his side though, helping him fly the TARDIS and he felt a little smug at the fact that Clara was watching them work together. He knew, really, that he didn't have anything to worry about, but he had always been a bit of a show off.

He frowned at the TARDIS groaned. "Huh."

"What is it?" she asked. "Is it Rigsy?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't think so," he replied. "I don't think the TARDIS wants to fly anywhere."

"Why not?" Danni asked. She stroked the console top slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I think it's because Miss Oswald has requested this particular trip," the Doctor explained. Clara and the TARDIS had never really got on, but Danni put her hand on her hip.

"No, that's not it," she retorted. "Anyone who's my friend is a friend of the TARDIS, right sweetie?" She looked up at the rotor, which flashed slightly before setting off into flight again. She looked to the Doctor, smug. "See?"

It still turned out to be rather difficult to get the TARDIS to land. Both Time Lords fought with her to get her to behave while Clara watched on, feeling rather slighted and left out. She had never done anything to harm the TARDIS, but Danni was right; the TARDIS loved Danni and Clara had hurt her. It was just another smack in the face with her mistakes. Although, she wasn't sure why the TARDIS had rerouted the call if she didn't want them to go to see Rigsy and his mysterious tattoo.

When they did finally land in Rigsy's house, Clara was quick to exit. She needed to prove useful in some capacity and so she went for the 'scouting' option. They appeared to be in a nursery, which she wasn't expecting. And, judging by the look on Rigsy's face as he entered the room, he wasn't expecting them either.

"I-I thought you would have come in the front," he admitted, a little baffled as he stared at the TARDIS. Even though he'd encountered the blue box before, it was still bewildering to him.

Danni stepped out after Clara. "Sorry we're late," she told him. "We were aiming for when you rang, but we got…" She trailed off as she spotted the crib in the corner with the small baby inside. She hadn't been expecting children. No one had told her there was going to be a _baby._ She found very quickly that she couldn't move. The little girl was adorable, there was no denying it, but her instinct had become to get as far away from children as possible in recent years. Even Tony had been a bit of a struggle to stay around too long, and she'd had to run away from his friends as soon as she could.

"Um… who are you?" he asked her, trying not to be blunt and failing miserably. She didn't answer as the Doctor followed Danni out of the TARDIS and almost ran into her. Clara motioned to Danni.

"Oh, you remember Danni," she told him as both she and the Doctor caught sight of the instant. They were over by the side of the crib in an instant.

"Danni?" he repeated. "You-You mean the blonde woman?"

"Yes, that's her," the Doctor replied. He'd been over the 'regeneration' conversation enough times for both him and his wife for it to be incredibly boring. There was something _much_ more interesting in the room.

"O-Okay," Rigsy said, a little redundantly. He didn't seem to have much of a choice but to go with it as the Doctor motioned to the little girl in the crib.

The Doctor, on the other hand, was suddenly entranced by the small girl. "Did you make this human?" he asked Rigsy,

Rigsy frowned. "Lucy? Yeah, she's mine."

Clara joined the Doctor, crouching to look through the bars of the crib. "Oh, hello," she whispered to the little girl. "Oh, Rigsy, she's gorgeous."

"She's better than that," the Doctor replied. "She's brilliant." He looked over at Danni to see if she agreed and saw her stood where she'd stopped, looking over at the little girl with trepidation on her face and he suddenly realised just why she didn't like being around children anymore. All of the little pieces of information of her time running away from Missy fell into place.

It wasn't that she was scared _of_ them. She was scared _for_ them.

He almost laughed. Just from the look on her face alone he knew that she'd never harm a child, but he remembered all the damage he'd done in the Time War, and all of the children he'd thought he'd killed. He understood the fear perfectly. He just knew that, no matter what, he'd never worry about a child around her.

He stood up, glaring at Rigsy. "What are you doing running round getting tattoos when there's…" he started loudly. All three of them turned to him, alarmed.

"Shh!" they told him as the little girl gurgled at the unexpected noise. Clara checked to make sure that she wasn't upset, but she looked fine.

"Look, I didn't get anything," Rigsy whispered. "I woke up this morning and it was just there. Jen noticed it."

"Okay, show me this tattoo that you didn't get, then." Rigsy did just that, turning around and pulling down his collar of his shirt to reveal the tattoo on his neck. It was just three numbers – 133 – and they weren't particularly well drawn either. "It's a tattoo," the Doctor dismissed, turning around and grabbing a fabric book out of Lucy's toys to flick through. "It's very boring."

"No, wait. Just, just keep watching," Rigsy pleaded. The Doctor rolled his eyes but did as he said, looking between his neck and the animals in the book.

"What were you doing last night?" Clara asked.

"That's just it. Yesterday was a total blank," Rigsy replied.

Danni frowned as she walked around the pair to stand the other side of the Doctor from the crib. She glanced over at the little girl but quickly turned her attention to the tattoo. It was a little plain, she had to admit. "Nothing at all?" she asked.

"Jen said that I left the house before dawn, I missed work, and I didn't get back till after midnight. No one saw me all day."

The Doctor finished his book and opened his mouth to complain about wasting his time when the tattoo faded slightly, counting down one to 122. He shared a look with his very surprised wife before putting the book down.

"Oh, that's not boring," he said lowly. "That is very not boring." He pulled out his sunglasses and Lucy gurgled again from the crib, like she knew something was very wrong. Almost automatically Danni moved to the little girl's side, reaching in and picking her up to calm her down. The Doctor didn't seem to notice, and Clara didn't seem to pay her much attention as she tried to see what the two Time Lords had seen.

"What? What is it?" she asked as the sunglasses whirred as the Doctor scanned the tattoo. Nothing of use came up, though, so he took the glasses off.

"Okay, Local Knowledge, you're coming with us," he declared, heading to the TARDIS. "Bring the new hum…" He trailed off as he caught sight of his wife, holding the little girl and looking absolutely terrified, like she hadn't expected to be holding her at all. She held onto her tightly, though, like nothing in the universe was going to harm her. Again, that old familiar ache appeared. That could have been their own daughter…

He shook his head. That wouldn't do at all. He had a tattoo to investigate. "No, don't bring the new human," he said. "I'll just get distracted."

He was about to disappear into the TARDIS but Danni stepped forward. "Wait. We can't just leave her," she told him. "Does-Is there anyone else we can leave her with?"

Rigsy nodded. "Jen's in the other room," he told her. She looked positively relieved at the thought.

"Al-Alright, I'll go give her to her," she said, holding the little girl a little tighter. "I'll be back in the minute."

No one stopped her, Clara slowly encouraging Rigsy into the TARDIS. Danni found Jen pretty easy and the woman looked rather worried even before she spotted the stranger with her daughter.

"Hey, I-I believe she's yours," Danni told her before handing her over. "We're going to take Rigsy to try and work out what the tattoo is. I don't suspect we'll be long."

Jen held onto her daughter. "Thanks," she replied. Danni shot her a soft smile.

"Your daughter is absolutely fabulous," she said quietly. "We'll bring her dad home safe."

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara felt in her element. While the Doctor was scaring Rigsy with his scanner – she was sure there was no need for him to be so dramatic about it – she was plugging in the man's phone to the console and checking its data. She remembered how to do this well and her UNIT brain was kicking into gear; finding out where he had been should have been easy using his phone's location data. Something on it should have pinged out where he had been and, if anything, it was a good place to start.

Danni was hovering at her shoulder, watching her with intrigue but nothing useful came from the scan. In fact, there was nothing at all on his phone. "Rigsy, your phone. It's like they've wiped it, but only the last day. No location data, no texts, nothing." She looked over at him as Danni moved away and to the Doctor. "You're sure the screen wasn't cracked before yesterday?"

Rigsy, terrified to move, just made a noise. Danni looked at the results of the full body scan. She frowned as it beeped, bringing up figures and Gallifreyan symbols. She still couldn't read most of it, but she grabbed the monitor and turned it so she could see better. There was something she recognised.

"He's been retconned," she said softly, looking up at her husband. "Someone's retconned him!"

"Really?" he asked, taking a look himself. She pointed at the reading on the screen which seemed to confirm what she was saying. "How do you know…" She cut him off with a look and he grimaced slightly. "Right, stupid question."

Rigsy, still terrified, felt even worse at their little exchange. "Can I?" he asked the best he could without moving his lips.

The Doctor glanced over and saw that he was still standing perfectly still. "Oh, yeah."

Rigsy let out a sigh of relief but Clara didn't feel the same. "What's retcon?" she asked.

"An amnesia drug," Danni explained. "It's covering the pre-frontal cortex of his brain. It's why he can't remember what happened. They've given him enough to wipe out the last day."

"And-And you know that?" Clara asked, surprised yet again about Danni's seemingly new-found knowledge. "How do you know that? You know human brains, now?"

"Um…" She looked to the Doctor for help to brush off Clara's question, but instead saw the annoyed look he was shooting her way. Danni sighed. Maybe she needed to lead by example. "My memories mean everything to me," she explained. "Means that people have used that against me and-and so I know what retcon looks like on a scan."

"Oh!" Clara explained.

"What?" Rigsy asked, confused.

Feeling a little sheepish, Clara did the best thing she could so and talked over his question. "So, apart from the retcon, did-did the scan show anything else?"

"Yes, yes," the Doctor replied, a little shortly. He turned to Rigsy. "In the last twenty-four hours, you have had significant contact with alien lifeforms, right here in the centre of London." The console pinged again. "Ooo, there's something else," he said happily, checking the monitor again. "Something…" His face dropped. "Not good," he stated. "Weird."

He looked over at Rigsy and Clara, both of whom seemed to notice how he'd suddenly changed his tune. He turned, walking away from them and around the console, meeting Danielle at the walkway to the door.

She could tell something was wrong. Something was really wrong and he really didn't know how to tell the young man he wasn't going to see his daughter grow up. That wonderful new human who was a sight to behold. He felt awful about making fun of his worries over the tattoo.

"What do I say?" he asked Danni. "How do I be nice?"

Danni's eyes widened slightly. He really was concerned about what he was going to say to Rigsy, but she was just blindsided by what that meant. "He's dying?" she asked softly.

"What?" Rigsy exclaimed and the Doctor looked up, meeting his gaze. He looked incredibly sad.

"Rigsy…"

Rigsy shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no!" he exclaimed, scared. "Don't start using my actual name now. Call me Pudding Brain, call me Local Knowledge. Whatever. Just don't call me Rigsy!" He was, understandably, panicking and looked at Clara for an answer. Then one came to mind and he looked to the Doctor, hopeful and desperate. "You're going to save me!" he cried. "You're a doctor. That's what you do."

The Doctor couldn't look at him. He turned around, the pit in his stomach not leaving. He didn't know what to do. He had never seen the readouts from the scan before, he just knew they were bad. He didn't want to let the man die, but what could he do? He was just one man. He just travelled around in a box with his wife, seeing things and healing each other. He wasn't sure if they were both strong enough to heal anyone else.

Danni appeared at his side and took his hand. Her face was kind. It always was, even if he was the only one who could see it. Her just being there gave him comfort. She had waited for him for so long, for decades upon decades not because she couldn't save herself, but because her faith in him was that unwavering. She knew his strength. "Do what you do best," she whispered encouragingly to him. "Be a Doctor."

He wasn't sure if she knew whose words she was echoing, and he wasn't sure if he appreciated the reminder of how much faith he'd once had in Clara Oswald. But he took it and held onto it tightly, much like he did with her hand. "Okay, okay," he agreed. "Yes, okay, let's do this thing." He practically dragged Danni behind him and she was happy to follow. "First up, stop the countdown," he explained. "Five hundred and twenty-six minutes. Right. Okay. Yes, you know, Local Knowledge." He quickly set them into flight. "I don't know who did this to you, or why. But I do almost certainly know how to find them."

"Where?" Danni asked.

"There have always been rumours, stories passed from traveller to traveller. Mutterings about hidden streets," he explained. "Secret pockets of alien life right here on Earth…"

"Oh, you mean Trap Street?"

He looked at her, bewildered. "What?"

"Trap Street," she repeated. "When I worked for UNIT we did a bit of work there. The Shadow Men were killing people near it." She looked to Clara. "Remember?"

Clara nodded. "They police themselves, mostly, but I still go there now and again," she replied. "I'm one of the ambassadors, I think."

"Really?" Danni asked, impressed. "That's really kinda awesome."

The Doctor had deflated quite a bit. "I thought I was supposed to be the smart one," he muttered. "How am I supposed to show off when you know everything?"

"I don't know _everything_ ," Danni retorted. "You'll just have to try harder."

"So we're looking for Trap Street?" Rigsy asked. "I've never heard of it."

"Trap Street is just a name I gave it," Clara explained. "It doesn't really have a name. Cartographers used to put fake streets into their maps as a way of seeing if people were copying their work or not. If the fake street appeared, then it was a copy."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "My god. A whole London street just up and disappeared and you lot assume it's a copyright infringement."

"And Trap Street wouldn't appear on any maps because humans can't see it," Danni continued, ignoring the grumpiness of her husband. He just didn't like when Clara had any sort of knowledge to impart. She missed Clara a lot, but she dreaded to think what it would have been like to have them arguing every second.

"They don't particularly like humans there," Clara added. "They can be a bit unfriendly. That's why I tend to go when UNIT needs someone to have a look in." Her eyes lit up slightly. "Oh! I'm an idiot!" she exclaimed.

"Finally, something we can agree on," the Doctor retorted. Danni nudged him in the side.

"The street has a leader, someone who keeps the balance," she explained. "It has very strict laws and, for the most part, UNIT lets them govern themselves. Sometimes, though, we have to go in and we talk to her. And she knows you both."

That never sat well. Danni's mind immediately went to Missy, as it always did, and she suddenly had her hand on her gun in her pocket. The Doctor's went to everyone and everything they'd ever come across, wondering who he had pissed off this time.

"She's the mayor," Clara explained. "Weird name, a bit up herself."

"That's authority for you," Danni said.

"Mayor Me." Both the Doctor and Danni seemed to recognise the name. "Who is she?"

"Um…" Danni cleared her throat. "Remember Ashildr? I told you about her?"

"The girl the Doctor made immortal?"

"That's her," Danni confirmed. "Well, she started going by the name 'Me' when her memories of her old life started to fade. Her human brain couldn't- couldn't hold them in anymore. We've been keeping tabs on her for a while, on and off, but we lost her a while ago."

"The 18th century. Nice to know she didn't stray too far," the Doctor muttered. "If you wouldn't mind, my Pet. I think we've got a few questions to ask our old friend."

Danni helped him fly to the Trap Street, landing just outside its bounds. Rigsy followed the two Time Lords out, still in a bit of a daze, but Clara hovered as the TARDIS finally retrieved the data from the phone.

Danni looked up and down the street. "I know it's here somewhere," she muttered. "Somewhere close…"

The Doctor could feel it. Something not quite right in the air. "It's somewhere close," he agreed. "We need to distract our senses. Clara…" He frowned. "Where the hell has she gone?"

"I'm here!" Clara said, darting out of the TARDIS, phone in hand.

"What were you doing in there?" he demanded, suspicious. She just rolled her eyes and held the phone out to Rigsy.

"Someone called you," she explained. "Yesterday, 6am. Blocked number."

Rigsy took the phone off her, only to drop it on the ground. Immediately his eyes went wide and vacant as he stared at the phone on the floor. He straightened, looking straight ahead and terrified.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked him. "What are you remembering?"

Rigsy didn't reply, instead he started striding down the street and away from them. Danni looked up at her husband. "I think he remembered something."

They followed him down the street slightly and he stopped, staring at the wall. Clara made a noise of recognition. "Oh. Trap Street." She looked to Danni. "I thought you remembered where it was?"

"It's been over a hundred years since I've been," Danni pointed out. "I'm sorry if the exact location eluded me." She frowned slightly, offended as she looked at the wall with her husband. She couldn't see anything…

Clara pinched her and she yelled in surprise. "Ow! That…" Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a whole new street appeared to come off the one they were currently stood on. It was illuminated with a faint glow and made up of old stones and cobbles. "Oh! I remember this!" She reached out and pinched the Doctor, who also yelled like she had done.

"What did you do that for?" he asked.

"So you could see it," she replied.

"How did you know I couldn't see it?!"

She shrugged. "Educated guess," she said with a little cheek. He shook his head, but tried not to smile at her playfulness. They were in a serious situation, they really didn't need to be teasing each other.

"You-You can see it too?" Rigsy asked.

"Very much so," the Doctor confirmed. "50 minutes left. Hoodie up, Local Knowledge. They know what you look like in there."

The Doctor led the way, his wife behind him, with Clara and Rigsy bringing up the rear. He knew that this was the kind of thing he would have normally found exciting, had there not been someone's life on the line. To be honest, he did rather find it exciting now but he didn't want to quite admit that. He would save the day and _then_ enjoy it.

They stepped into the small, deserted courtyard and realised that it offered nothing else of any note to them. It was still dimly lit, with a cobbled floor and no one in sight.

"How come I saw it when you guys couldn't?" Rigsy asked.

"That's because you became distracted," Clara explained. "Whatever is misdirecting us must have lost its hold on you when you saw whatever slipped through your memory wipe."

"Do you not know what it is?" Danni asked Clara. "You've been here a number of times, you said."

"The Mayor isn't particularly forthcoming with information. I just tend to come in, make sure everything is working as it should, follow up on any leads then get out of here. Maybe she'll be more open now you two are here."

Danni very much doubted it.

The floor flashed, a loud surging noise filled the small area and the cracks between the paving started glowing a bright yellow. The light moved towards them, highlighting whatever patches of floor they were stood on and stuck them all on the spot. So, naturally, they all began to try and move as an alarm started sounding.

Two men appeared from inside the shadows. One in a suit, who reminded Clara of a banker, appeared from a basement hatch while the other, much larger and much angrier, man appeared from a bunch of discarded rags and sacks. Clara struggled a bit more to get away, but she couldn't move any more than anyone else can.

Danni, on the other hand, was having a much different experience to everyone else. They all saw the two men approaching them, but she only saw one woman. Two of the same woman, but still one woman. Her hair neat upon her head, her clothes as Mary Poppins as ever…

"No!" she shouted, panic spiking to the point that she couldn't keep it from those around her. Clara felt it like a tightening in the chest, Rigsy watched as his vision blurred and the Doctor felt it in every bone in his body. She reached into her pocket, hands shaking. She pulled out her sonic screwdriver and pointed it straight at her as if she'd pulled her gun out instead. "Stay away from me!"

It was the panic, and her knees giving way, that helped break the illusion in front of her. The two Missys flickered, showing the aliens underneath. Her panic was shaken by the new information – after all, Missy tended to pretend to be the aliens, not the other way around – but she held her sonic in front of her. There was always chance she had thought up something new. She wasn't going to go down without a fight.

The Doctor had turned the best he could on the spot. He knew what that panic meant. "Danni, put the screwdriver down," he encouraged. "It's not her. Put it down."

Clara quickly realised what was happening. She smiled shakily at the two men. "She-She doesn't mean any harm," she quickly told them. "It's just a screwdriver. She's just scared, that's all." She turned her attention to Danni. "It's just two men, Danni. We're in London, remember? The Trap Street?"

"Two men?" Danni asked her. "Can't you see that…" She blinked as one of the Missys flickered into a large man, who leant in close to sniff her. "Do you mind?" she snapped. "I'm not a bloody candle!"

"This one don't smell human," the man snarled, his voice flickering with a Scottish accent as he moved over to the Doctor. "Neither does this one."

The other man stepped forward. "Name, species and case for asylum," he demanded. "Quick as you like."

The Doctor frowned. "Asylum?"

"The reason you're here. The reason you need sanctuary." They all shared confused looks and the smaller man grabbed the larger on. "Why didn't they use the protocol?"

Rigsy leant in close to the Doctor. "I saw through the circuit again. I saw them," he said lowly. "They're definitely not human."

Danni felt her whole body relax in relief. "You saw that too?" she said.

The angry man stepped forward. "You do know this is a refugee camp?" he asked.

They all looked at each other, as if trying to find a story that they could all use. "Of-Of course we do," the Doctor offered unconvincingly.

"Of course he does!" a calm voice said. "Now that you've told him."

"Mayor Me," the banker greeted, giving a small bow.

"That's her," Clara told her friends quietly.

"Yes, we know," Danni replied. Ashildr, or Mayor Me, came into the small area with two policemen flanking her. She hadn't aged a bit, which was not surprising, and she had all the grand air of someone who had lived too long to be concerned with shyness. "Hello Ashildr."

"Ashildr?" she repeated, confused.

"That's your name," the Doctor reminded. "We keep telling you that."

"Do you?" she asked in reply with a tilt of her head, like she genuinely didn't remember. Once again it made Danni so uncomfortable that she shifted on the spot. She hated that she was losing her own memories, the idea that she might not have any left eventually. Ashildr was a very big reminder that, eventually, she might forget her past completely.

"Infinite lifespan, finite memory… it makes for an awkward social life," Ashildr continued. She looked over at Clara. "Nice to see you again, Miss Oswald," she offered.

"Mayor Me," Clara replied with a nod of her head, feeling rather awkward. Ashildr then turned to Danni.

"And you must be the Doctor's wife, Danielle."

"Danni," she corrected shortly. "Apparently not as important as the Doctor, otherwise I'd be in there too."

"Oh, you are very important. You're throughout my diaries. I do treasure the bits of you that are in them. I've read them several times. We once robbed a house together."

"We did," Danni agreed. "And you saw me kill a man after I'd been sold to him."

Ashildr's face lit up in recognition. "Oh yes, I remember that one. Such a strange woman you were travelling with at the time."

"Yes, she's stood about two foot to your left," Danni snapped, suddenly very angry. She turned to the Doctor. "Is-Is she being serious right now?" she asked him. "Because this is so fucking unnecessary. I'm actually going to start killing people if she…"

"I'm sure there's something else going on here," he reassured her. "We'll get to the bottom of it." He held her gaze, letting her see the promise in his words, before turning his attention back to the big problem stood right in front of him. "This is where you went after we lost track of you," he commented.

"Wait, you've been watching out for her?" Clara asked. "Danni said you wouldn't go back to see her."

"It's more like surveillance," Ashildr corrected her.

"It's professional interest," the Doctor said.

"Precautionary measure."

Ashildr looked at the Doctor, waiting for him to correct her again. It was incredibly frustrating when the person you were trying to get to do what you wanted just wouldn't play along. "We need your help," he said firmly. He didn't have time for banter. "Someone in this place is in control of a Quantum Shade." He reached to pull Rigsy's hood down, then decided against it. The young man took off his cap as well and it was obvious that everyone recognised him.

The angry man snarled and took a step forward, one step away from ripping Rigsy apart. "I knew I recognised that smell."

The Doctor tried to ignore how Danni tried to step back and away from the creature and turned to Ashildr. He didn't understand why she couldn't see what they were all seeing, with only the theory of that she saw Missy everywhere as it was. "Call him off," he demanded. "Right now."

Ashildr nodded. "Mister Rump," she said firmly, once and the man stepped back. She walked away from them, taking her scarf off. She was very dramatic, Danni realised. It had to be her age.

She turned around to reveal a large golden necklace and tattoos up her neck. The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "You," he whispered.

"How do you know this man?" Ashildr asked him, as if she was questioning them.

Clara watched the way the tattoos on Ashildr's neck moved, quickly putting two and two together. "Hang on. You did this to Rigsy?"

"Did you expect anyone else?" Danni asked. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"This man committed a crime. I sentenced him," Ashildr stated simply.

"Sentenced him?" Clara repeated, outraged. "He's human, he's outside your jurisdiction. If you had a problem, you should have come to UNIT!"

"This doesn't concern UNIT," Ashildr replied, unmoved by the anger around her. "I also gave him enough time to return home and say goodbye to his family."

"How the hell was he supposed to do that when you dosed him up with retcon?!" Danni raged. "How _dare_ you take someone's memories and life away all at once!"

"I'm afraid no intruder leaves this place without a memory wipe," Ashildr told her. Danni looked to her husband, who looked just as happy as she felt.

"Then what was the fucking point of letting him go?!" she exclaimed.

"That will include you, as well," Ashildr said. Danni laughed harshly.

"Try it," she dared. "Try and take a single memory from me and I will burn this whole street to the ground."

"She will," Clara added. "And we won't stop her."

The Doctor _really_ didn't appreciate Clara encouraging Danni's more violent tendencies. "Ashildr, given we're all going to forget this conversation anyway, perhaps you could tell us what happened here yesterday to necessitate a death sentence?"

Ashildr let out a heavy sigh, like the entire fair was an exasperation and it just angered Danni more. When they had left her, Ashildr had finally begun to understand what being immortal truly meant. Now, though, she seemed to have gone back to her disinterest and coldness. Did they have to go back every hundred years to give her an injection of humanity? Was that even their place?

Yes. As long as she was a danger, she was their responsibility.

"Fine, I'll show you," Ashildr offered. "Mister Kabel, Mister Rump. Permit them entry."

As the aliens moved to let them free, both looking like Missy and just scaring her even more, Danni shook her head. "No!" she exclaimed. "Stop right where you are, do not move a step closer!"

The Doctor looked down at his wife. "Danielle…"

"Don't 'Danielle' me," she snapped. She turned to Ashildr. "I'm not following her into that street until she promises me Clara is safe as well."

"Danni, it's fine," Clara told her. "I've been here before. I can handle myself."

"You've never been here with us," Danni pointed out. "Or with a man with a death sentence that was put on him here." She met Ashildr's gaze. "You know us both, _Mayor Me_. You know of me and what I will do for the safety of my family. Clara stays safe, do you understand me?"

Ashildr nodded. "I guarantee the safety of Clara Oswald. She will be under my personal protection. That is absolute."

"Don't see you fighting for me," the Doctor grumbled.

"I don't need to fight for you, do I?" Danni replied. "She knows what will happen if anyone harms you. My presence is warning enough."

"Also quite true," Ashildr said with a hint of humour in her voice. "Let them go."

"As you wish, Mayor Me." Kabel, the man who looked like a banker, pressed his foot against a cobblestone and the lights flashed through the ground again. Their feet were released and Danni immediately moved backwards, like she had wanted to from the start.

"This way," Ashildr told them, heading into the street. Clara and Rigsy followed behind her, but Danni grabbed the Doctor's arm, stopping him.

"Tell me you can see her too," she begged in a hushed tone. She was shaking slightly and he shushed her gently, rubbing her arms as if trying to warm her up. "I-I'm not going crazy, am I?"

"She's not here," he promised. "You _know_ she's not. You know you're with me, with Clara and Local Knowledge, following up on an immortal woman we may have left alone too long."

"But-But she was right there!" Danni hissed. "Right in front of me, and you want me to follow her?!"

"Danielle, Danni, my Danni-Girl," the Doctor repeated. She had been getting some much better, but there had been so much further to go. She still barely slept, and she still looked for the best way to run away, but seeing Missy in front of her face set her back even further. She wasn't able to focus on him, looking around for the ever-elusive door that proved she was trapped and asleep. Her hand had gone for her gun even if all she'd pulled out was her sonic screwdriver. He hated the pain she was in and he couldn't do anything about it.

He felt her nudge at his mind, checking that he was who he said he was and it broke his hearts that she just couldn't believe her eyes anymore. He should have never let Missy get away. He let her feel whatever she needed to make her feel safe.

"I don't know why you're seeing her, but I promise the rest of us are not," he told her. "And I promise we'll work it out and you'll know it's all a trick. But Missy is not here. She isn't close. You are safe."

Danni stared into his eyes, looking for the lie in his words, but found not. She swallowed, nodding to herself. "Alright," she agreed. "Alright, no Missy. I'm fine. Everything's fine." She made a dismissive noise. "Of course it's fine. Well, apart from the evil Mayor and Rigsy's death sentence and the fact we've left Clara alone with her. Everything's fine."

"Come on," the Doctor said, taking her hand. "Let's go save Local Knowledge and then drop Miss Oswald back in her boring human life and get on with ours."

"Theta! Stop it. She's my friend, you're just going to have to deal with it. She's not going anywhere."

"Don't remind me," he drawled.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _It's starting! I hope you're all ready!_

 _It's New Years Eve, so I unfortunately don't have time for review replies. But let me know what you think of this one and I'll reply next chapter._

 _Thank you all for the support over the last year. Well Wishes for the New Year!_


	45. Face the Raven

Missy was everywhere. Danni was used to seeing her everywhere in her head, but it being in the real world was incredibly more disturbing. It didn't matter that by sheer quantity alone Danni knew it wasn't the real deal, it still terrified her. She had always been adamant that, if she ever saw Missy again, she'd kill her where she stood and she would _love_ it. She and the Doctor had actually argued about it on occasion. Proper arguments as well, where there was shouting and no making up at the end. He felt she was better than that. She disagreed.

However, seeing Missy all over just showed how much of a coward she still was when it came to the Time Lady. She stayed close to the Doctor's side, hand on her gun, eyeing everyone around her warily. Suddenly she wondered, should Missy reappear, if she would just follow her meekly like a good little pet…

"Your friend called Rigsy a murderer," Danni said to Ashildr, focusing not on her fear but her anger instead. Anger was good. "As I very much doubt it, I'd like to know how someone got the jump on little old Ashildr."

"That's not my name," Ashildr dismissed lightly, but with a tone that said she was normally listened to.

"Yes, it is," Danni replied with just the same dismissive tone. "You've read your diaries, you know that."

"How long have you been here?" the Doctor interjected, also feeling Danni's anger. Ashildr seemed to have just taken authority over the street and all the alien life upon it, deciding who would live or die on what seemed to be very little. He may have lost trust in his ability to make friends, but he also knew that Local Knowledge wouldn't have the capacity to take anyone's life.

"Since Waterloo," Ashildr replied.

"The battle?"

"No, the station," she replied a little sarcastically. "Really, Doctor." They continue down the street, all the people around them slowly paying more and more attention them. "Tread carefully while you're here. Some of your greatest enemies are within a few feet of you. As far as you're concerned, this is the most dangerous street in London."

"I can see that," Danni snapped.

Clara stepped forward. "Fascinating," she lied openly. "Now, can we skip to the part where you want Rigsy dead for some reason?"

"It's him! He's back!"

They stopped in the street as they were suddenly surrounded. Rigsy shied away from the hateful gazes, holding onto his arm like he was hugging himself for comfort. One Missy stood up from her chair, stepping closer towards him and Danni's immediate response was to keep her as far away from Rigsy as possible and she moved between the two. Missy flickered, revealing a Sontaran underneath, but she didn't care.

"It's best we get him inside first," Ashildr told Clara.

"Murderer," Sontaran-Missy snarled at Rigsy. "You're not welcome here." They all jeered and snarled at Rigsy, closing in and it was very clear Rigsy was in quite a bit of danger.

"Like I said, it's best we get inside." Ashildr motioned them down a corner and they were all very happy to pick up the pace. This street was much quieter, with only one person watching, hiding in the shadows. The young man darted into their house when they noticed they'd been spotted, showing a second face on the back. Danni frowned; why didn't they look like Missy?

"This misdirection circuit of yours is remarkable," the Doctor declared. "The cloaking device that hides the street, makes everyone look like humans."

Danni turned her attention back away from the young man. Ashildr shook her head. "It's no device. It's the Lurkworms." She motioned above their heads towards the old-fashioned lamps that illuminated the street. "Quite something, aren't they? The light is a telepathic field. It normalises everything you see, places it within the compass of your expectations, your experiences."

"Ah," Danni drawled. "That suddenly makes every make a lot of sense."

It was unfortunate, but her words echoed exactly what the Doctor was feeling. They all saw humans because, on Earth, everyone expected there to be humans. Danni, on the other hand, always expected Missy. It was her first point of call, her first thought in any unusual situation. She tried to look past it, she even succeeded most of the time, but it still sat there. Her expectations were that every bad thing involved Missy. Her experiences were that her expectations were usually met.

They stopped in front of a woman bandaging the head of a man. Or Missy bandaging another Missy's head, depending on your perception of reality. "You can bypass them, of course," Ashildr continued.

Knowing that she wasn't seeing Missy didn't exactly help, however, calm Danni's anger and her fear. So, when Ashildr reached out to pinch the Doctor's arm, Danni's hand shot out and caught her wrist. The look on her face was almost feral, the only thing she needed to do to warn Ashildr away. Her arm dropped and the Doctor wondered if that was what she always warned him to not be like; protective to the point of violence.

It was enough to take him out of the situation and he saw the two people flicker into an Ood fixing up a Cyberman's head. He wasn't sure that was any better.

"Don't worry," Ashildr told them both. "We're perfectly safe."

"Said no one around a Cyberman; ever," Danni muttered.

"We find that phrase is usually followed by a lot of screaming and running and bleeding," the Doctor agreed.

"I brokered a truce. We have strict rules against violence here. Rules every creature must abide by if they wish to remain on the street." The rules didn't seem particularly sound as the aliens around them continued to jeer threateningly around them at Rigsy as they continued on.

"What's better, that they're in here with me, peaceful and cooperative, or out there on Earth like the Zygons?" Ashildr proposed. "We haven't had an act of violence on this street for a hundred years, until yesterday, when your friend here attacked one of our most vulnerable residents."

"Allegedly," Danni pointed out as they entered a house that was, most likely, where Ashildr lived. "Allegedly our friend attacked someone. Someone in _your_ street, with cloaking worms and where the humans outside will forget whenever they walk in. You're telling me that all that failed, for the first time 100 years?"

The house still held a lot of the features of the era in which it was built. A lot of wood and old glass, but the woman suspended in the container by the staircase was definitely a lot more advanced than the architecture around it. The Doctor immediately strode over, completely distracted for a moment by the very out-of-place technology.

"She was found at the entrance of the street," Ashildr explained. "No weapon on the scene, but the cause of death is likely the head wound. Seems she was knocked to the cobblestones."

"Seems?" Clara asked, furious. "You've sentenced Rigsy to death yet you don't know exactly what's going on?"

"He was found over the body," Ashildr explained. "My people were angry, frightened. I had to act."

"The purpose of a leader is to lead, not to make rash decisions that hurt other people instead!" Danni raged. "If you truly cared about this street, you would know that. Instead you're punishing people because _you're_ scared that you'll be found out as a fraud."

Ashildr looked at her with calculating eyes. "You speak from experience?"

"We all speak from experience. Our experiences are all we have," Danni snapped in reply.

"What was her name?" Rigsy interrupted before Danni could think too much on how _angry_ Ashildr made her, and how conflicting it was considering it was because of them she was even around to make such a bad decision.

"Anah. We're keeping her here until someone can take her home for burial."

"She's a Janus," the Doctor declared as he finished his circuit around her. Just from the brief examination he could give her, it did look like the head wound was what had killed her. However, seeing the second face on the back of her head did give him a bit of hope that he might actually be able to save Rigsy.

He had noticed the second face almost instantly, however who was he to interrupt his wife when she was having a good rant?

"She escaped slavery. She fled here with her child," Ashildr explained. Danni walked over to her husband's side and he motioned to the face on the back of her head. She had never encountered the Janus before, she'd never even heard of them and he watched as her eyes lit up at the knowledge of something new. That never changed, he'd noticed, from body to body. And in the same regard they were the same. Always drawn to the new and exciting, even at the most inappropriate of times.

"The child. A daughter?" he asked. Ashildr shook her head.

"No, a boy."

"Is that bad?" Clara asked.

"Just unhelpful," he replied shortly. She frowned and Danni motioned her over as well, knowing the Doctor would never explain what was going on to Clara.

"She has two faces," Clara commented. "I think we saw her son outside."

"Can he not help?" Danni asked her husband. "Maybe he was there too."

"The female Janus is psychic," he explained to her, and by extension Rigsy and Clara. "One face sees into the future, the other looks behind her, into the past. The son won't have the same abilities."

Danni frowned. "What does his other face do, then?" she asked him, curious.

"Nothing, why?" the Doctor asked him. She shrugged.

"I dunno," she said. "I mean, if _I_ was going to regenerate with a second face then I'd want it to be there for more than decoration. I'd want it to see into the past. Or… I dunno, be able to drink while I ate, maybe? If it didn't do something different, it'd probably annoy me by talking when I'm trying to sleep or something stupid. I know I'd do that if I was a face stuck on the back of someone else's head."

It was a fair point, and not a new thought to the Doctor. However, the conversation was halted by the desperate pleas from a man outside.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry," Ashildr said, heading to the door and out to see the man outside.

"Yes. Please, go. It's not like we've got a ticking clock or anything." The Doctor walked over to the young man, checking the back of his neck for the numbers counting down his death. "Forty-one minutes."

Clara had already headed out of the house, intent on finding out what exactly was so pressing that it had to take precious minutes from Rigsy's life to sort out. She was surprised by the crowd that had gathered outside and, for a moment, was worried when Rigsy came out after her in case they had turned up to finish the job before the countdown was complete.

Inside the circle was an old man and woman, the man begging Ashildr for his life. It seemed like he had been sentenced to death for stealing medicine, which was also incredibly worrying. If they were willing to kill a man over some medicine, suddenly Rigsy's less than airtight case made a lot more sense.

She did feel better when the Doctor and Danni joined them outside as being around Danni always made her feel better. Nothing ever seemed so bad when your best friend was by your side to go through it together.

"This man stole medical rations. He broke a rule of the street and he stole from all of you," Ashildr told the crowd. "And yes, I can remove the chronolock. But I won't. Our rules keep us safe."

The old woman begged to take the punishment, but he looked at his wife like she was the only thing worth living for and told her just as much. Then, with all of the grace of a merciless leader, Ashildr took a deep breath and let the Quantum Shade go. The tattoo disappeared from her neck.

"What's a Quantum Shade?" Danni asked the Doctor softly. A large raven appeared at the end of the street and it was obvious that everyone was terrified of it. She felt it too. It felt ominous and frightening, and she wanted to run. Something was very wrong with that bird.

"It's a kind of spirit. Once it's bound to a victim, you could flee across all of time and all of the universe, it would still find you," he explained. Danni shook her head once, like the very idea horrified her enough to try and deny its existence and he very much felt the same.

The old man turned and ran from the raven, which crowed and followed him through the houses as he tried to outrun his fate. The Doctor moved over to Ashildr, leaving his wife with Clara, to try and get some mercy from her. However, there was only coldness in her eyes.

"Peace on this street depends on one thing," she told him. "To break it in any way is to face the Raven."

There was a scream of agony from around the corner of the twisting street and the man's wife looked ready to break down as she realised that he was dead. The black smoke reappeared, wrapping around Ashildr's neck and ending the horror show they'd just witnessed.

"We've created a monster," Danni whispered sadly. Clara turned to her, hearing the tears in her voice. She took her hand and gave it a squeeze. She was taking everything quite hard and to see her taking the blame directly to heart angered Clara more than she could say. Danni had become reserved, she knew that she only expressed anger and confidence when around others and kept everything else private to the people she trusted. But, watching her wipe her eyes like she had been about to cry just said that she was feeling it too hard to hide anymore.

"This isn't you," she said softly, kindly. "These are her choices, not yours." Danni leant on her arm and the warmth Clara felt from it was rather bittersweet. She just gave Danni a quick side-hug in the hopes that it would help. As the other woman straightened slightly, Clara saw that it did and she tried not to smile.

Ashildr turned to the Doctor. "I have no wish to harm your friend if he is innocent, Doctor."

Danni, who had been feeling a _lot_ of emotions since coming to Trap Street, decided to settle on the one that she always did; anger. She broke away from Clara and stormed forward to her husband's side, teeth bared. "You don't have a choice," she snarled. "Innocent or not, this ends _today_."

"It's not me you need to convince of Rigsy's innocence. It's them." She nodded to the crowd, who were turning their sights back onto Rigsy. Danni shook her head.

"I don't give a shit about them," she declared firmly. "You're out of control. We're going to save Rigsy, find the real killer, then we're getting that thing off your neck." She leant in a little closer. "That's a promise."

Danni didn't really have anywhere to go, but the need to get away from her was building up so much that she just turned and stormed into the house where the body was being held. The Doctor stepped forward to follow, but Ashildr stopped him before he could. He stared down at her, antsy and exasperated.

"Feel free to question anyone you want," she offered. "Examine the body. Do whatever you need. But it's not me you need to convince of Rigsy's innocence; it's them." With a nod of her head towards the crowd, she left with her two escorts. Clara looked back at Rigsy and the house, then headed over to the Doctor, who looked even more annoyed at being stopped yet again.

"She's really angry," Clara said. He rolled his eyes.

"You don't think I've noticed that?" he snapped. Clara raised an eyebrow at him, not at all intimidated by him anymore and he knew that was because Danni was just in that house. If he started shouting then she'd be out like a shot to tell him off. As fun as it was to see her passionate, he had barely any time left to do what he did best and save lives. He sighed, frustrated. "She's been confronted by a lot of things as of late. Ashildr is bringing out the worst in her. Then there's you being here." He waved her up and down. "She's always been rather overprotective of you. She'll be fine when we can leave. The quicker we can find out what is really going on, the quicker that'll be and you're stalling me from doing my job."

Clara smirked slightly, about to retort before she shook her head. Bragging was best left for _after_ the adventure. "Okay, we split up," she declared. "I'll take Rigsy and you go calm her down."

He looked at her, incredulous. "Who do you think is in charge here?" he demanded. She grinned.

"Me, obviously," she told him. "Off you go."

He growled slightly but stormed off into the house, leaving her in the street, looking around to try and work out her first course of action. Rigsy was on the phone to his family and she didn't want to interrupt that, especially if that was the last time they would ever get to speak. She still held onto the phone call she had been on when Danny had…

She cleared her throat. What she needed to do was get Danni out the situation they were in now before she did something stupid. It was becoming clearer as time went on that, even though she seemed rather detached, she was just as emotional as ever. Both Time Lords were the same and she wanted to ease that pain for her.

She caught sight of one of the two men who had caught them at the entrance of the street as a thought popped into her head. She walked over to him.

"Rump?" she started before shooting him her best smile. "It's er Rump, isn't it?" He didn't say a word, but she assumed that was because she was friends with Rigsy. "That man's wife. She said something. ' _Give it to me, tell me I can have it_ '. What did she mean?"

His face turned from annoyed to solemn quite quickly. "Two ways to survive a Quantum Shade," he told her lowly. "The Shade's master removes the chronolock or you can give it to someone else."

This was news that quickly started the gears turning in Clara's head. "Give it? You can just…"

"No. You can't just push it on someone. It's not that simple," Rump interrupted. "It has to be taken willingly. The death's already locked in. You can pass it on, but… you can't cheat it." He turned, walking away as if he wasn't willing to talk about it anymore. It didn't matter, though, because Clara already had ideas and she stood on the spot, trying to work it out.

They all needed a win. Whether it was the Doctor because he still wasn't over not saving Danni, or Danni who was seeing Missy everywhere she turned. Or herself, who had lost so much and just needed to cling to _something._ Saving Rigsy was definitely that something for all of them.

And Danni had made it absolutely clear that she was to be protected while on the street, something the Mayor had been happy to give her word to achieving. And it was so _smart_. Using the Mayor's own tricks against her. Danni would be _so_ impressed…

All she had to do was convince Rigsy to give up the chronolock, but that was going to be the easiest part. She was incredibly good at convincing and, with a girlfriend and a young daughter at home, he would be more willing to go along with her if it meant he could get home alive.

Working for UNIT really had helped her deducing skills. Once this was over, maybe she could get Danni to talk to Kate, get her a promotion. Or a raise.

"I am so smart _,"_ she praised herself quietly, but incredibly smugly. "I am Miss Clever."

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor opened the front door to the house slowly, slipping inside and closing it just as quietly as he'd opened it. Danni was stood in front of the poor dead woman, hands in her pockets, frown on her face. She looked incredibly annoyed, but the Doctor knew her well. He just wished he could do something to help her.

"I thought I was getting better," she told him without looking over. "But she's still everywhere I go."

"She will go away eventually," he promised her. He stepped to her side, also pretending to observe Anah.

"No, she won't," Danni said, confident in her words. "Everyone else on this planet sees humans in this street and yet I can't stop seeing her stupid smug face. And even when I can't…" She took in a heavy breath, letting it out slowly. "Ashildr's coldness and detachment from the world around her is a direct result of Missy kidnapping me. It ripples out from that moment in time, across the universe. Being taken has hurt people so much more than me."

"Missy believing she had the right to lay claim on your person has hurt so many people," he corrected. "It brought out fear, which brought out misguidedness and ultimately led to Ashildr being here today."

"And possibly has led Rigsy to his death," Danni finished. She looked up at her husband. "And you unable to leave me alone for five minutes in case I do something stupid."

He shook his head. "Unable to leave you alone for five minutes in case _I_ do something stupid," he corrected again. "I may not see her on the faces of other people, but she did take my wife and I am always thinking of how she might take her again."

"She'd have to be quick," Danni said shortly. "I'll kill her where she stands the next time I see her and know for definite it's her." She reached into her pocket, holding the gun she'd failed to pull out last time. She didn't believe her own words, but she hoped eventually she would.

The Doctor wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to place a kiss on her hair. He didn't want her to know how sad it made him to know that she really wanted what she had said to be true. And he didn't like how he felt it as well.

Danni took another deep breath. "At least we have each other," she declared. She nodded her head once. "She never could get rid of that. Let's go save Rigsy." She looked up at him. "What's the plan, Spaceman?"

"Ashildr said that all we have to do is persuade the creatures that it isn't Rigsy and the death sentence can be lifted," he explained. "Then, we find the real killer and then we remove the Quantum Shade."

"Alright," Danni replied. "Where do we start?"

 _~0~0~0~_

No one had a bad word to say about Anah, which Danni found incredibly suspicious, but the Doctor didn't think much of. She would have been much sort after because of her powers. Being murdered didn't necessarily mean that the murdered didn't like you.

It didn't exactly shift the bad feeling Danni had as they walked around the streets, running out of time to save Rigsy and find the actual killer. Nothing felt right, everything was all wrong and she was getting sick and tired of not knowing what was going on. All that was obvious was that Rigsy hadn't done it. And, if someone else had, no was giving them up.

"We're wasting our time here," Danni told her husband. "We've got, what, fifteen minutes left? We should be finding Ashildr and making her take the chronolock off Rigsy."

"She won't take it off him unless we can prove he's innocent," the Doctor pointed out. "She won't budge and she's the only one who can remove it."

"Then-Then we take him home," Danni replied. "We let him say his goodbyes, see him see his daughter and his girlfriend again. We-We need to stop running around aimlessly and give him the good death she never got!"

The Doctor came to a stop, looking to her, confused. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

She looked around, at all of the aliens who were walking around, minding their own business and purposefully trying to ignore them. Each one was Missy, each one flickered on occasion to remind her that the Time Lady was just a mask, but she still didn't want them overhearing her.

"Something's wrong," she said. "And-And I don't mean the whole 'killing Rigsy' thing, or-or the Missy thing because that is _all_ shades of wrong. There's something else and I really don't like it."

He nodded, because he felt it too. There was something in the air, something he felt like he was almost swimming through. It was all around him but he couldn't quite see it and, as always, not knowing everything was making him as anxious as Danni seemed to be.

"What is it?" he asked her. She shrugged.

"I have no idea," she admitted, but the way she couldn't seem to focus on him suggested otherwise. "I can't… Why Rigsy?" she asked him. "There's, what, eight-nine million people in London around this time? And it happened to be Rigsy, someone who we know, someone we've saved and someone who _happens_ to have a direct line to that TARDIS?" This thought seemed to jolt something inside of her and she stepped closer to her husband. "And why did the TARDIS reroute the call in the first place?" she asked, almost accusing him even though her anxiety wasn't directed his way at all. "The TARDIS has never been overly fond of Clara—"

"Can you blame her?" the Doctor muttered.

"-So why would she send a call to someone she doesn't like?" she continued. "What is happening here?"

"All incredibly good questions," he told her and she deflated slightly, obviously reassured by the confirmation of her concerns. "Ones we, hopefully, will get an answer to soon." His eyes scoured the area, immediately spotting Kabel, one of the two aliens who had greeted them at the entrance to the street. He nodded over to him. "Let's see what our banker friend has to say."

"Your friend, acting like he was all scared of us, calling for a doctor," Kabel ranted, looking over at Rigsy who was waiting for Clara to finish her own questioning.

His words caught both of their attentions, managing to even pull Danni away from her concern at Clara talking to strange people on her own.

"A what?" the Doctor asked.

"I know. The cheek of it," Kabel scoffed. "Humans can survive losing entire limbs and I'm supposed to believe he…"

"Oh, do shut up!" Danni snapped, cutting him off in surprise at her outburst. "He was scared, right, understandable. Did he ask for 'a' Doctor, or 'the' Doctor?"

"Does it matter?" he asked in reply. "He asked the Mayor to call him a doctor. Poor Anah, dead at his feet, and…"

"You're doing it again!" Danni exclaimed. "What did he say? 'A' Doctor, or 'the' Doctor? It's not that hard of a question."

"'The' Doctor," he clarified and Danni looked up at her husband, completely disregarding Kabel from the conversation.

"I knew it," she said. "I knew something else was wrong."

"Yes, well done, later," he replied, grabbing her hand and running over to the two humans. He motioned them all into a small enclave, away from any ears that may have been listening in.

"Clara gave you my number for emergencies," the Doctor said to Rigsy. "So when you wake up with a weird tattoo on your neck and no memory of the last twenty four hours, the first thing you do is call the Doctor."

"Call the Doctor?" Rigsy repeated, his face flashing in recognition. Something was bubbling away in his head, trying to push past the retcon.

"But you find yourself accused of murder on a strange alien street in the middle of London," the Doctor continued. "Only they've taken your phone, so you beg the woman in charge to call me instead."

"Me knew who you were all along," Danni finished for him. "She knew who you were, she knew we were friends, and she knows so much more than she is letting on!"

Clara reached out instinctively, placing a hand on her arm. "Shh," she said softly, trying to stop her raising her voice anymore. They had enough attention on them, after all. Danni did seem to relax slightly, but only when the Doctor also gave her hand a squeeze. He could feel her tension as well.

Danni took a deep breath. "Something is wrong here. Beyond this ridiculous witch hunt. Something is happening and we're running out of time to work it all out."

Clara cleared her throat. "There's twelve minutes left," she declared, not looking any of them in the eye as she started walking off. "I'm not giving up yet."

"Look, Clara, even if one of them knows something, they're not going to come forward. The way they look at me," Rigsy told her.

Clara blinked and it all suddenly made sense. "The way they look at you?"

Rigsy frowned but Danni grinned. "Oh, you know something," she stated. "I know that look." She took a step closer. "What have you worked out?"

"Everyone here looks at him like he's a murderer," she said. "So we need to find the person who isn't."

"And you know who that is?" Danni asked and she nodded. "Oh, you are good."

Clara smirked, feeling like she was on top of absolutely everything. When she pulled out their final ace, Danni was going to be _so_ impressed. "Better than good," she bragged.

 _~0~0~0~_

That was how they met Anahson, Anah's daughter hiding as a boy to keep her powers a secret from the universe, to save her from being sold into slavery like her mother had been. Clara had noticed how, unlike everyone else, she had watched them curiously rather than hatefully. It was because she had been able to see what had happened. She knew Rigsy was innocent because she could look into his past and see that he hadn't killed her mother.

"I can't see everything," Anahson told them. "But she thinks she's doing the right thing."

"They usually do," the Doctor replied. "If what Ashildr is doing is harmless, then we'll just walk out of that door. No one will know of your abilities. But if it's not…" He trailed off leadingly, hoping to entice the answer out of her.

"I don't know what she means to do," she explained. The Doctor obviously didn't believe her, but Danni could tell by the look on her face alone that she was telling the truth. "No, I'm trying, but I can't see it. I can't see it because it involves you two." The two Time Lords looked to each other, suddenly rather concerned. "When I look at you, I can't tell your past from your future, and there's so very much of both."

"She's using us," Danni breathed as the Doctor stalked around the couch that Clara and Anahson were sat on. "She's using us to cloak what she's doing."

The Doctor shook his head, although he didn't doubt that Ashildr had been using that to her advantage. "This isn't about Rigsy," he told them. "It's about us."

Anahson took a deep breath, closing her eyes. It was rather fascinating when the face on the back of her head – just like her mother – opened its eyes and stared blankly forward. "She couldn't just ask you here. She needed a mystery. You can never resist a mystery. She's afraid."

"Afraid of what? Of whom?"

"I can't see." She closed her eyes again, opening them back her front face. She looked incredibly upset. "I'm sorry." Clara reached out, giving her arm a rub in comfort. She felt so sorry for the young girl, she remembered how it felt to lose her mother. She wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Danni, on the other hand, was feeling a lot of feelings. She felt sorry for Anahson, that was the easy one to find. She felt frustrated that she hadn't seen this coming, and terrified that Missy was hiding out in the mass of herself in the streets. She was terrified of losing her own memories, and curious about just how Anahson's back face worked. How _did_ she see into someone's past? It was fascinating.

But, most of all and most strongly, she felt angry. No, she felt _furious_. "Me," she snarled. "She's scared of _me_!"

Surprising everyone she stormed out of the house, pulling her gun out and setting her sights squarely on Ashildr. She had lured Rigsy to the street, put a _death sentence_ on him, just to get them both there. She'd put him in danger, Clara in danger, _the Doctor_ in danger because she felt the right to an audience with the pair.

The Doctor had complained that she seemed more concerned about Clara than him. This was what happened when he was in danger. She wasn't sure if he approved, and to be quite frank she didn't care. She could tell they were following her, but it just meant that she could keep an eye on them as she got what she wanted; the chronolock off Rigsy, Clara and the Doctor away from Ashildr and all of them away from the _fucking_ street forever.

"Danni, wait!" Clara called after her as she chucked the door to Ashildr's house open. Inside sat Anah behind the stasis field but there was no sign of Ashildr anywhere. She growled to herself, storming over to the stairs as the Doctor ran into the building.

"Danielle!" he cried and she turned, eyes flashing.

"I'm going to kill her," she warned him. "I'm-I mean, I'm not, because she can't die, but I'm going to find her and rip her pretty little head off!"

"I'm sure you are. And I'm sure you'd be great at it," he said, almost admirably and she faltered slightly in her anger as she tried not to smile. "But there's more going on here than we think. We need to stay calm."

"Like what?" she asked, almost demanding. "All I see if a little girl who's had way too long to grow up and stop playing dangerous games in charge of an _entire alien community!"_

Clara led both Rigsy and Anahson into the house, not knowing what she was going to find. Luckily the Doctor seemed to have caught Danni's attention long enough to stop her doing anything stupid, but the fury on her face said that they didn't have long to calm her down. Clara needed to give her something else to focus on while they worked out just what Ashildr wanted.

She glanced at the woman suspended in stasis, and felt sorry yet again for her daughter who was left behind. Her mother's funeral had been an absolutely horrid day, but she also knew the days after would be even worse. And Anahson didn't even have her dad to help her through it. She'd have to go back…

Hang on.

"Her mother!" Clara cried. Danni looked over at her, the anger in her eyes fading somewhat.

"Clara, not now," she warned. "We can find the murderer once I've…"

"No, her mother!" Clara repeated. "She-She's the reason we're all here! Everyone loved her, everyone knew her and she knew everyone." She turned to Anahson. "You can't see the future, but you can look into the past. You knew, the moment that your mother died, that it was something to do with the mayor. You would have always known, and eventually we would have found you. You would have always told us who killed your mother." She turned back to the Doctor and Danni. "She wants you two for some reason, right?" she asked. "But she's knows you don't just come back for anything. If she's really killed someone to get you here, then you're not going to allow that to slide. Once everything is sorted, once you _win_ , you'll be back for her and her punishment."

"Unless she thinks she's going to win," Danni pointed out, quickly becoming exasperated with all the talking.

"But it's like you said, she's lived a long time, and she obviously knows the pair of you very well. Why would she leave open the slightest chance that you would win?"

Danni looked up at the Doctor. "Osgood did say that it was stupid to leave us alive," she recalled. "Remember? Twelve bullets in quick succession?"

He nodded. "You've always known something was wrong here. Wrong beyond the death and the hidden street," he reasoned. "And if she thought, for a moment…" He rushed over to the controls for the stasis pod the Anah was suspended in. He pressed his hand against one of the screens and it flashed into life.

"What is it?" Anahson asked.

"It looks like medical data," the Doctor mused. Danni moved over to his side. For the most part it just looked like dials and readings, and while she didn't know what a lot of them meant, she knew that he was right.

"But it can't be," Anahson replied, confused. "She's dead. She isn't breathing."

Danni's eyes widened as she looked at her husband. "Unless she isn't," she breathed. He pressed his fingers against the screen and the sound of a heartbeat came from the controls. Danni laughed in pure delight.

"She's alive!" she cried. She looked over at Clara. "You are so clever!" she praised. "Honestly, you are amazing!"

Clara looked rather smug. She could tell Danni well and truly meant it. "Well, you've not seen anything yet," she promised, thinking about her ace card currently counting down on her neck.

"Get her out! Get her out of there!" Anahson cried, kicking them into gear. The two Time Lords began pressing the two screens.

"There must be a way to unlock it. Something basic, something simple that I'm missing," the Doctor grumbled as the console just continued to make angry beeps at their wrong commands.

Rigsy, who wanted to help the woman he'd thought, for a moment, that he'd killed, ran over and dropped to his knees. He spotted something on the side. "A keyhole!"

"A keyhole would be very handy, yes, but I haven't got one," the Doctor dismissed.

"No, he's found one," Danni retorted, nudging him out of the way. Sure enough, on the side of the console was a very simple lock, nothing like the tech it was attached to. A very simple lock of a very simple key.

Both of them recognised the lock immediately.

Anahson, now panicking because her mother was trapped, ran towards the door. "I'll find her. I'll get the key."

Danni shook her head, holding her arm out to stop the girl. "No, don't," she said softly. "There's no point." She moved around the console, crouching down to examine it.

"Is there one there?" the Doctor asked. Danni ran her hand over the brass fitting.

"Yeah," she said simply, a sigh in her voice as she stood up. "Two keyholes."

"For two keys," he finished for her.

"What does it mean?" Clara asked. Danni only glanced over shoulder at her before looking back at her husband.

"The Mayor is missing because she wants us to save Anah," she explained. "She wants us to unlock the stasis pod."

"With these," the Doctor finished for her, pulling out his TARDIS key. Danni did the same, holding it tightly in her hand.

"The TARDIS?" Clara asked. "That's what this is about?"

Danni nodded. "What do we do?" she asked her husband. "If we unlock it…"

"Then she gets the TARDIS and runs," he finished. "Finally getting to travel amongst the stars."

Danni nodded, letting out a shaky breath. He knew she wouldn't be a fan of that plan. She'd already struggled so hard to get back to the TARDIS, giving it away was going to probably be too much, even for her.

"Then we run after her," Danni declared. He shot her the biggest smile he could.

"Then we run after her," he confirmed. They both chose a side of the console, crouching down by each keyhole. The Doctor put his key in first and looked over to Danni, waiting for her signal.

She placed the key next to the hole, pulling it away just before it slipped inside. Her insides, her instincts, _everything_ was telling her to turn and run, Anah and Rigsy be damned. She ran her hand through her hair, shaking slightly. She didn't want to do this. _She didn't want to do this._

She quickly pushed the key into the hole before she changed her mind.

There was a clunk as they turned the keys in sync and then Danni cried out as something clamped down around her arm, pulling them into the controls. The Doctor struggled against his own trap but he looked over at her.

"Can you-I can't—" he stuttered out and she shook her head.

"I can't either!" she cried. She continued to struggled until, suddenly, it let them both go and she fell back onto her arse.

The Doctor looked at the steel bracelet firmly clamped around his arm, over his jacket. Rigsy, Anahson and Clara moved over to Anah to catch her as the stasis chamber opened and she fell forward out of it. The Doctor looked down at his wife, who was staring at the golden cuff that was around her own arm in terror.

"Get it off," she whimpered. "Get it off. Get it off. _Get it off!"_

Clara could only stare in absolute horror as Danni began to scream, tearing at her arm as she tried to get it off. She was shaking, panicking and repeating over and over again to get whatever had clamped around her arm off. She was turning red, tears streaming down her face, and rocking and Clara needed to help her _right now_.

The Doctor beat her to it. He dropped to the floor in front of her, grabbing hold of her wrists and pulling her hands as far apart as he could to stop her hurting herself. She struggled against him. " _No!"_ she screamed. " _Get it off!"_

"Danni," he called, trying to get her to look at him. "Danni, Danni, look at me. Look at me. I'm right here." She continued to flail, screaming, begging but he held her tightly. He couldn't let her hurt herself. "Danni, I'm right here. Look at me. I'm right here."

She could barely focus on him as memories of each and every time she had been restrained flew through her head. Each time Missy had kept her tied up, each time she'd been locked away. To the time, the very first time, when she'd woken chained to a bed with no idea what was happening with just the knowledge that something bad was about to happen. To seeing Missy for the first time, to finding out who she had been all along. To knowing that she was trapped. To dying, calling out her husband's name, only to be met with laughter.

"Danni, Danni, I'm right here," he reassured her as she cried his name in pure panic. It broke his hearts, it caused him to cry and he didn't really care. He cupped her face with shaking hands, making her look at him. He was terrified of what was coming next, but he knew it was nothing to what was going on in her head. He tilted her head, making her look at him. He began steady, deep, deliberate breaths until she followed him, calming her down, bringing her back. "There you go. Nice and steady. You're okay. We're okay. You're here."

"What's going on?" she whimpered. "I want it off."

"I know," he reassured her and it really helped, knowing he was listening. "I have one too. You're not alone, I have one too."

He let her turn her head to see it but she was immediately looking back at him with terrified eyes. "Why is yours silver?" she asked.

"I don't know," he apologised. "You're okay. It's okay."

It didn't feel okay. It felt anything _but_ okay and Danni was going back to shaking her head again. He could feel her panic building back up. He kept hold of her tightly, he made sure she knew she was safe, even if he wasn't certain of that himself.

Rigsy had no idea what was happening, but knew it wasn't good to see something scream like that. Clara was also crying, desperate with the need to take the pain away and knowing that she couldn't.

"I do apologise. I didn't mean to cause any panic."

Ashildr stepped into the room and Danni spun around on the spot, almost falling in the Doctor, as if she was scrambling away. To her credit, she did look apologetic. Danni really didn't care.

" _You_ ," she snarled through her jagged breaths.

The Doctor helped her off the floor. "There are easier ways to steal a key, you know," he pointed out.

"I don't want your TARDIS. That's not what this is about," Ashildr replied, surprising everyone. "Rigsy, come here, I'll remove your chronolock."

He shook his head. "I-I think you should remove her bracelet, first," he offered. She shook her head.

"I can't," she replied.

"What are these, Ashildr?" the Doctor demanded. "You can't possibly think this is going to keep us here."

"They're not restraints. They're teleport bracelets."

Danni's hearts skipped a beat. "That's why they're different colours," she said. "We're going different places." She looked up at her husband and wondered how, yet again, she was being torn away from him. From everyone. Against her will. She was being kidnapped, again.

"No, no, take them off," she demanded, turning back to Ashildr. "Right now! Do as you are told!"

"I can't," she reiterated. "I'll give you time to say goodbye, don't worry. No one will be hurt."

Danni shook her head, grabbing her gun yet again and pointing it straight at her. "Now," she snarled. "Do it _now_."

Clara rushed over, pushing her arm down. Danni didn't take her eyes off Ashildr. The Doctor held his wife close. "Not now," he told her. "Where are you sending us?"

"I made a deal to protect the street. They take you, I take the key so you can't be traced. I do as they tell me, and the street is safe," Ashildr explained.

"They? Who are they?" the Doctor demanded.

Ashildr didn't want to give any more information. Probably part of the 'deal' she had made. "One more thing," she said instead. "Your confession dial. They have other means of procuring it, but I understand it's likely to be on your person. Please, no resistance. You've already lost."

The Doctor looked at Danni, who shook her head. But he knew. He knew that, if these mysterious people had gone after the pair of them, he knew what 'other means' they would use to get it. He knew it had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with her.

He reached into his pocket, pulling it out and handing it over. Ashildr turned it over in her hand, curious. "What is it?"

"In your terms, my last will and testament," the Doctor snapped back.

"How does it work?"

He shrugged, amazed at her distant tone. She wasn't even bragging. She just didn't care. "I've no idea."

She did look a little disappointed. "Well, thank you anyway." She walked over to the mantel, placing it in there like she didn't have to hide it. "Rigsy, your neck."

Ashildr walked over to him, but he backed up, looking over at Clara for help. "Clara, what are you playing at? The chronolock!"

Clara looked at Danni, who was still shaking slightly, even if her overwhelming panic seemed to be under control. She still had her ace card on the back of her neck, she still had the upper hand here. She always had the upper hand. She was always in charge, and she could save Danni. She could save both of them.

She turned back to Ashildr. "Take the teleport off them first," she demanded. Ashildr scoffed slightly, knowing that she didn't have to do anything. She reached up to Rigsy's neck but he batted her hand away.

"I don't have it, I'm telling you. Clara does," he told her, motioning to Clara. She turned around, lifting her hair up to show the numbers counting down on her neck. Ashildr looked horrified and Danni frowned.

"How did you get that?" she asked. "What does…" She looked up at the Doctor, her question dying on her lips. The Doctor did not like Clara anymore. He didn't trust her and he didn't like spending time with her. He found even the sound of her talking irritating and had complained about following her on this adventure.

He looked absolutely horrified.

"Go on, then. Take it off," Clara demanded, holding her hair up expectantly.

"Clara, you didn't!" the Doctor exclaimed. He grabbed her roughly and turned her around so the two Time Lords could see it. Zero-zero-eight. She had eight minutes.

Ashildr had turned her back, shaking her head like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "I had no idea she'd do something so stupid," she told them. "I swear, I never meant for anyone to get hurt." She turned back around to look at Clara, who really didn't appreciate the devasted look on her face. "Look, what were you thinking? Sacrificing yourself?"

"What?" Danni exclaimed, her hearts going cold. She didn't understand the looks on their faces, but she understood that well. She stepped closer. "Clara, what have you done? What has she done?"

"I wasn't sacrificing anything," she promised Danni. "It was strategy. Backup plan, to buy us more time."

The Doctor turned around, running his hand through his hair, messing it up further. He had a feeling, a dark feeling he hoped was wrong, that Clara had done something incredibly stupid. The raven worked for Ashildr. It was very unlikely it would work for anyone else.

"Plan? What plan?" Danni asked her, stepping forward and away from the Doctor's side. "You've not said anything about a plan, Clara. Why would he give it to you unless you asked for it?" She motioned to Rigsy. "He's a good man, he'd never give up a death sentence to anyone, let alone someone he came to for help."

Clara held her hands up. "Look, it's fine," she insisted. "Rump said that you could pass on the sentence, and Ashildr said I was under her protection while we were here. It was a calculated risk, an ace card. Like I said, you hadn't seen anything yet because I still had this up my sleeve."

Danni blinked. "Did-Did you do this to show off?" she asked. "Why the hell would you do that?!"

"I wasn't showing off," Clara dismissed in a voice that suggested that was what she was doing. "Everything's fine."

"Do they look like people who think everything is fine?!" Danni exclaimed. "Do they look like they think what you've done is clever?!"

Clara looked at Ashildr and the Doctor. Ashildr looked like she was about to cry, like her plan had gone up in flames. The Doctor wouldn't even look at her, which made the pit in her stomach grow. "What I did was calculated," she insisted.

The Doctor turned around. "What did he say to you?" he asked. "Rump. What exactly did he say?"

"He said the death is locked in," she replied. "You can pass it on, but you—" She trailed off, suddenly realising why everyone looked so horrified. The words hit her in the chest, knocking the wind and the confidence out of her as she realised her very big, very grave mistake.

"But what?" Danni asked her.

"But…" Clara whispered, but didn't finish her sentence.

"But you can't cheat it altogether."

As if echoing the horrid development, the Raven cawed ominously. Danni shook her head, looking at Clara. "No, you-you can't. This can't be happening."

"Clara, you didn't tell me that," Rigsy exclaimed, as outraged as was to be expected. "Give it back to me, now."

"She can't," Ashildr said. "Clara, I made a contract with the Shade when I put the chronolock on Rigsy. I promised it a soul and only I can break that contract. When you took it from him, you changed the terms." She averted her eyes. "You cut me out of the deal."

Danni looked up at her husband, eyes shining. She could feel her whole world shattering, the one she had fought so hard to keep together. She was seeing Missy everywhere, about to be torn away from her husband and now… She couldn't lose Clara. She couldn't, she couldn't!

"Fix it," she said, voice shaking. "Now, Ashildr. Fix it now."

"I can't," she reiterated again. "It's not possible."

The Doctor could see it in his wife's eyes. The plead for help, the absolute desperation and devastation at the fact she was going to lose her best friend and he couldn't sit back. He couldn't ever see her feel that pain and sit back. He would do anything for her.

He started walking over to Ashildr, wringing his hands together as his anger flared. He wouldn't let Danni be hurt by his mistake. He wouldn't lose Clara. "Yes, it is, you can, and you will, or this street will be over," he warned with a large, scary grin. He took his anger, all of it, at Ashildr and Missy and even Clara, and he held it tight. "I'll show you and all your funny little friends to the whole laughing world. I'll bring UNIT, I'll bring the Zygons. Give me a minute, I'll bring the Daleks and the Cybermen." He grabbed Ashildr by the arm, dragging her over to his wife and to Clara. "You will save Clara, and you will do it now, or I will rain hell on you for the rest of time."

Clara had wanted the Doctor back on her side, but not like this. "Doctor, stop talking like that."

"You can't," Ashildr half-begged.

He leant in close. "I can do whatever the hell I like," he warned. "You've read the stories. You know who I am. And in all of that time, did you ever hear anything about anyone who stopped me?"

Ashildr glanced over his shoulder, very aware that his threat was real. "One," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "One person could always stop you."

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, yes, you're right," he agreed. "But I never stop when it comes to her. I-I did, once, _almost_ for one second stop and it almost cost me the universe. She wants Clara to live, so Clara will live. You will fix this or I will never stop."

" _We_ will never stop," Danni added. She walked forward, gun in hand, eyes blazing and pointed straight at the woman's head. "Heal and heal again. Go on, _I dare you_ ," she snarled. "I _dare you_ to survive. I dare you to take Clara from me. _I. Dare_. _You."_

And Clara didn't doubt it for one second. She could see how Ashildr was scared and she could see how everything kind she had ever known about Danni had vanished from her eyes. Even when she had woken up from that horrid dream, when she had pushed Danni over the volcano's edge, she'd woken up to kind eyes and a forgiving heart. That had all gone. All because of her.

"Danni!" she exclaimed. "For God's sake, will you stop?"

"No!" Danni snapped back. She took a step forward and Ashildr took a step back. "You know us. You've studied us. You know our stories. You know what we can do. Do you think I'm not afraid to use that? Take all that we are and ruin you with it?"

"Danni!" Clara begged. "I did this, do you hear me? I did this. This is my fault!"

"I don't care!" she shouted back.

"Liar! You always care. Always have." Danni took her eyes off Ashildr and turned to look at her husband first, then her best friend. Both of them were startled by the pure hate in her expression, the anger that raged inside of her spilling out, but both of them saw it for what it truly was; she was frightened.

"No," Danni said softly. "You're my friend. My best friend. Everyone else can burn for all I care. You, the Doctor, and me, that's all I want and it's all that matters."

Clara took a step forward. "I did this," she insisted. "I did. If this is the last I ever see of you, please, not like this." Danni didn't lower her gun, but she didn't turn away and Clara took that as a win. Probably her last win. She turned to Ashildr. "Is there anything you can do?"

"I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry, I…"

Clara cut in. "Time's short. Yes or no?"

"No."

A strange sense of calmness fell over Clara. Her panic, her horror, seemed to be hidden behind the peace the complete certainty of her imminent death gave her. It was going to happen, there was nothing that could be done. The crowing of the raven sounded closer and closer each time signalled her ever-shortening life but there was nothing she could do about it.

So she took hold of the things she could. She did what she did best; she took control.

Danni had whimpered at Ashildr's small word, but then her eyes had hardened and she looked ready to tear the world around her down. Clara knew she had to calm her down before she did so. She had one life, it was almost over, and she had to end it right. With her friends, with the woman she loved, making sure everyone was going to be alright.

Saving everyone. Just like Danny had done.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself for what was to come. "Well, if Danny Pink can do it, so can I."

"Do what?" the Doctor asked. He looked upset, which shouldn't have been surprising to her as it was. She knew, deep down, he cared. He always cared.

"Die right," she told him. "Die like I mean it. Face the Raven."

Danni stepped forward. "I'm not going to let this happen," she started firmly. "I-I can't lose you now, I refuse to lose anyone now!" She moved, to spin around and do… well, whatever she had to, to get what she wanted done, but Clara grabbed her arm. She kept her still, stopped her leaving.

"Danni, that's enough," she said firmly. "You cannot change this. This is my fault. I said you were running towards danger, but I was the same. I didn't think, I just acted. I-I was showing off and I am going to face the consequences of that."

"I won't let you," Danni replied.

Clara laughed. "Like you ever had a choice," she replied. "I'm the boss, remember? I decide where we go, I decide if I stay with you, and I decide when and how I die." She took the gun from her hand, holding it out to her side. As if out of reflex, the Doctor took it off her, proving her words. She took Danni's other hand in hers. "We don't have time. Let's not fight about what we both know is true."

Danni let out a sob. "I can't do this without you," she whispered.

"Yes, you can," Clara told her confidently. "You and the Doctor will be fine together. You'll just have to tell him what's bothering you instead of coming to me as the middle man."

"I never—"

"It's a joke," Clara interrupted. "The Doctor and Danni, in the TARDIS, 'til the end of time. I was just a stopgap in that goal. You're going to be fine."

Danni nodded slowly, although she couldn't help but feel Clara's words were wrong. "I never could save you," she said softly. "I tried to stop you falling off that cloud, and now I can't reach your hand again." She swallowed hard. "You're the boss," she said. "Tell me what to do."

"Live," Clara said simply. "And listen, because I don't have long and I refuse to have any regrets." She smiled, letting go of Danni's hand to cup her face. "I love you," she stated, much to the Doctor and Danni's surprise. "You're beautiful, and smart, and charming and stronger than anyone I have ever met. You swept me off my feet and it's time for me to finally land." She nodded. "And take it from the two people who love you most in the universe. Listen to me and the Doctor. You will be okay." She leant forward, placing a kiss on her lips, one chaste little kiss she allowed herself before she let go of Danni completely. "And stay in here," she instructed. "Do not follow me out."

"I can't—" Danni started, protesting loudly.

"You can and you will," Clara cut in. "Stay here." She looked at Rigsy. "And if you, for one minute, feel guilty about this I swear to God..."

The raven cawed again and she realised that was it. It was time. She was going to die. She took one last, long look at Danni then turned to the Doctor.

"I know you don't like me," she started. "Will you at least listen to me?"

He wanted to tell her that he never really hated her, that it was because he'd been so close to her that her actions had cut so deep. He never, for one moment, wished this on her and he felt like he was floundering watching his friend die so suddenly.

But he couldn't, he just nodded. She knew, though. She had always known.

"You're going to be furious and you're going to be sad, but don't let it change you," she instructed. "Don't let this change either of you. You're going to have to be the strong one here, Doctor, so help her so she can help you. You can't let this turn you into a monster." She stepped back, looking between the two. Would she have really had this any other way?

"So, I'm not asking you two for a promise, I'm giving you an order," she told them. "You will not insult my memory. There will be no revenge. I will die, and no one else, here or anywhere, will suffer."

The caw of the Raven caused Danni to step forward. "Clara, please," she begged. "Don't go out alone. Let me come, _please_."

"This is as brave as I know how to be," she told Danni, giving her a definite answer. "I know it's going to hurt you, but, please, be a little proud of me."

Danni smiled through her tears. "How could I be anything but?" she replied.

"Goodbye, my Danni-Girl," Clara said before she stepped out into the street.

The door shut behind her and Danni could only stare at the dark wood. It taunted her, like the noise outside, and she started shaking on the spot. Everything felt wrong, it felt not fair. It _wasn't_ fair. Clara didn't deserve to die, and she certainly didn't deserve to die on her own.

Danni couldn't be on her own.

The Doctor cried her name but she shoved him out of the way, throwing the door open and running into the street outside in time to see the Raven fly straight at Clara, hitting her in the stomach. Her arms were wide, and she screamed. Then black smoke came out of her mouth and she dropped to the floor, dead.

Dead.

Gone.

 _Dead._

Danni staggered slightly on the spot, her heart breaking. Clara had been part of her life for almost as long as the Doctor had been. She'd met her when she was young, just after she had regenerated for the very first time and there hadn't been a time since when she hadn't had her there. Her best friend. Her family. Her Clara.

She wanted to sob. She wanted to scream. She wanted to run over and cry over her body, but that wasn't life and Danni knew how unfair it was first hand. She didn't have time to stop and grieve. She didn't have time for revenge.

She turned to look at the door. Well, not at the moment.

The rage was overwhelming, taking over the places the grief should have been. The room actually seemed to be tinged with a red hue, much like a cartoon. The noises fell away and the Earth became deathly silent. All except for the door closing behind her. It swung shut, smashing against the frame and the three people left in the room stared at her. One with worry, one with heartbreak, and one with fear.

Danni's lips pulled back, a snarl on her face as she met the eyes of Ashildr.

"I'm so sorry…"

" _You_ ," she snarled. "This is all on you. All of this. Everything. This is all on you."

"I never meant..."

With an inhuman amount of speed, Danni moved forward. She shoved Me against the wall, pressing her arm against her throat and pinned her tightly.

"You may never be able to die," she started with a snarl. "But I will kill you again and again for what you have done. I will _burn_ you over and over until the end of the universe. You will not survive what you've done to Clara."

The Doctor moved over, pulling her off Me, who dropped down. He pulled her away, over to the other side of the room. "Danielle, I know, I know," he told her.

"She killed Clara!" she cried, shaking. He nodded.

"I know," he promised. "And it won't stand, I won't let it stand. We won't let it stand, but you can't lose yourself to it." He reached out, cupping her cheek, making sure to memorise her in case the worse happened yet again when they were split up.

"I lost myself a long time ago," she told her husband. "I don't know what I'll do next."

"We don't know what's happening next," he replied. "But you will be fine. We'll be fine."

She nodded, taking a deep breath. The teleport bracelets. They were being separated again. "Find me," she begged him. He smiled to reassure her, knowing that as scared as he was, she was going to be so much worse.

"Find me," he begged in return. She nodded in return. "Don't stop looking, Danni-Girl."

"We'll get back together," she declared. She looked over at Me. "The Doctor and Danni, in the TARDIS, 'til the end of time," she said deliberately. "Be afraid."

Me kept her eyes averted as she pressed the controls to start the teleport. The Doctor and Danni reached out at the same time, taking each other's hands tightly, as if that would keep them together.

"Here we go again," she said. "Let's win this one."

"They don't know what's about to hit them," he agreed.

The bracelets beeped in unison and the Doctor quickly turned on the spot. He didn't get to say it last time she was ripped from him and the guilt and regret had never left him.

"I love you," he told her. "No matter what."

She opened her mouth to reply just as earnestly, but the teleports activated and they were torn apart.

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni blinked at the bright white room she landed in. It wasn't the first time she'd appeared in such an empty room, obviously meant to keep someone contained. It was actually so familiar she got a dark sense of reassuring familiarity from it.

She clasped her hands in front of her, twisting her torso to observe the room closely. Apart from the chair against the wall by the metal security door there wasn't much to see. She had definitely moved in time as well as space, years of time travel by less than ideal means had taught her the feeling well. She was somewhere very new indeed.

By the time she'd straightened back up, her resolve had set in. She needed to get out, she needed to get to the Doctor, and she needed to get home. It had taken her years last time, but now she knew what do to.

The door opened and in stepped two soldiers, both in red ornate armour. They flanked the doorway and a third, balder, paler old man stepped in after them. His armour was nicer, and bulkier and she let out a noise of comprehension.

"Ah, you must be the one in charge," she realised. "This must be your smashing abode. I have to say," she looked around again, "I'm not fond of the minimalistic look, but each to their own, I guess." She met his gaze, not intimidated in the slightest by his perceived status. "Where's the Doctor?" she asked simply.

He didn't say a word, instead stepping out of the way to let an even older man in. He had a large collar, with red robes and the air of someone with actual authority around him. His face was different, but she recognised his arrogance immediately.

She had many questions. But now was not the time for that.

"Oh," she stated. "It's _you_."

"Time Child," Rassilon greeted with a look of disgust. "The Doctor is currently on this planet. We believe you have the means to find him for us."

She nodded slowly. "Oh, yeah, pretty much instantly," she agreed. "If he's close then I could find him with just a thought. Tell me why I should."

Rassilon looked furious just at the idea that she wasn't obeying him instantly. "Because we answered your prayer," he snarled. "We gave the Doctor a new set of regenerations. You, in return, said you would do anything. So you _will_ help us."

Danni nodded along. "That is true," she said, slowly walking over to him. "I guess, really, I kind of owe you one."

The guards moved to stop her, but Rassilon held up his hand to warn them away. "You owe us twelve," he retorted. "Where is the Doctor?"

Danni stopped in front of him, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, that's easy," she replied. "I can give you that right now."

And, before he could even ask, her lips pulled back into a snarl she headbutted him. She hissed as she stumbled back from the contact, Rassilon crying out in outrage and pain. She reached up to her forehead to see if she was bleeding.

The head guard ordered Rassilon out.

And, with an animalistic growl, Danni attacked.


	46. The Reaction

Was his hand broken? Probably.

Did he really care? No, not really.

The Doctor wasn't sure how many times he had gone through the cycle. It may have been one, it may have been a billion. All he knew was that he'd moved a couple of billion years from when he'd left the Earth. The stars had changed too much to suggest otherwise, as did the fact that he hadn't time travelled anywhere. Whatever cycle he was being put through, whatever torture was befalling on him, he just knew that on the other side of the wall of diamond was his home and his wife.

He just had to fight through.

Pounding again and again.

No more telling secrets he didn't want told. No more bowing down and being obedient to the monsters that had trapped him away. He was stronger, faster, _smarter_ than they could ever hope to be and all it did was make him angry. He wasn't a pawn in their games. He was going to escape on his own terms, even if that meant dying over and over again to do so.

The monster behind him crawled ever closer. It never got faster but its pace never slowed either. And now he was trapped in a tunnel of Harder than Diamond, with no escape and no plans to run away. He just needed to get through. That was his only thought, his only goal. Make it through to the other side.

He'd had enough of pondering what was waiting for him on the other side.

He'd had enough of missing his wife. He'd had enough of realising that there was, more than likely, only two possible places she could be. She was either on the TARDIS, waiting for him, or trapped in her own personal hell. He'd had enough of the fear that, rather than fighting her way out, she was submit to being captured and he'd find nothing but a shell on the other side.

He'd had enough of knowing that this trap they were both in had been the direct cause of the death of Clara Oswald. He could put that on the backburner. He could deal with that later. All after he was free.

He had to keep focused otherwise he was never going to make it out alive. He was certain of this because, dotted around with the messages of 'Bird' and 'I am in 12', were warning of thinking about his wife. Her name, scribbled in the dirt, with a big 'NO' next to them. He'd left a few of them himself. All reminders, just in case he felt himself falling into the pit of loneliness and despair that threatened to overwhelm him. He needed to get out. He'd promised he would find her again. He _had_ to find her again.

And that was how he'd found himself with a, most definitely, broken hand, beating down the Harder than Diamond wall that stood between him and his escape. Over billions of years, the Doctors before him had paved the way. He just had to add his own…

 _Crack_.

He blinked, dumbfounded, as the frosted diamond crumbled and cracked, letting in the sound of a howling wind and a light brighter than anything he'd ever seen. He turned around to watch the creature crumble and fall, revealing that all along it had been a machine.

He couldn't believe it, he was _free_.

He turned back into the light, squinting his eyes as he stepped into it, feeling the wind, feeling the warmth as he stepped through the portal he had exposed. He couldn't see where he was going and he was even more confused by the sand dunes he appeared on. After being trapped in a castle for so long, he'd expected greenery.

He turned to watch the portal disappear and the device that had generated it fell to the ground.

He bent over, picking it up. His confession dial. In the middle of it sat a miniature castle, just like the one he'd been trapped in, surrounded by water. He slowly waved his hand over it to close it back up again. Now he was out and free, everything made so much sense. There was only one race that could harness the power of his confession dial like that. There was only one race who would know what it could possibly hold, and only one race that would care.

A small child ran up to him as he looked around where he'd been dropped off. He spotted the domed city in the distance, now repaired from the damage the Time War had caused on it.

He bent at the waist, getting close to the child's face so he could meet their gaze. "Go to the city," he instructed. "Find somebody important. Tell them I'm back. Tell them I know what they did and I'm on my way." He reached out, placing a hand on the young child's shoulder. "And if they ask you who I am, tell them I came the long way 'round." His lips pulled into a snarl. "And I'm coming for her."

The child took off, running towards the city and he straightened, staring at the city once again. Somewhere, in there, stood the Time Lords. Rassilon and his guard, and the Council, and everyone in between. Somewhere, in that glass dome, was his wife.

And he would find her again.

 _~0~0~0~_

Rassilon wasn't known for his patience, or his mercy, or really anything that made him any less than absolutely feared. Kenossium wasn't stupid enough to take this fear into account when addressing the

"Has she started talking yet?" Rassilon asked as they swept down the hallway towards the lower dungeons.

"No, my Lord President," Kenossium replied. "She's just been pacing." He tried his hardest not to glance at Rassilon's forehead, which was now sporting a rather impressive gash from where the Time Child had smashed her forehead against his.

"Has she been fed?"

"No, Lord President," he said. "As per your orders, no one has entered the cell since she was placed inside."

There were guards posted outside the cell in question, two soldiers who didn't even react to the approach of the two authority figures. "And the bells?"

"We are investigating them as we speak. You must know, though, Lord President, what they mean."

"Of course I do," he snapped, insulted at the slight of his intelligence. Just because his body was older did not mean his mind had followed suit.

With a nod of his head the guards opened the cell door, stepping in first. Kenossium followed suit, then Rassilon stepped inside.

Danni stopped pacing, smirking at the two like she was seeing two old friends who she hadn't seen in a while. "Oh, a visit," she crowed. "Well, call me flattered."

"You will speak when spoken…" Rassilon started, already angry with her impudence.

"You're in trouble, aren't you?" she interrupted. She motioned up to the ceiling with one figure. "I know the sound of a cloister bell anywhere. It's the soundtrack to my life, really, if you think about it, and that is a _lot_ of bells ringing. Something bad is happening, isn't it?" She spun on her heel, turning on the spot to start her pacing again. "And, as I'm currently in residence in your finest facilities, I'm going to guess my husband has finally landed."

"The Doctor was confined to his Confession Dial," the General explained. "He has since broken free. We require his location to reduce the danger Gallifrey is facing."

Danni stared at him for a moment before laughing heartily. "Oh, I get it," she said. "You're all afraid of him, aren't you?"

"You will not disrespect us!" Rassilon shouted and she shook her head.

"I'm not disrespecting you," she told him. "I'm _mocking_ you. I'm openly mocking you." She looked to the General. "Was I- Was that not clear?" She placed a hand on her chest. "I thought I was being quite clear, but I've been trying to be nice for a while now so maybe I've lost the skill."

The General glanced at Rassilon, wary of how the Lord President was reacting to the cocky woman in front of him. "Time Child, I do not believe you understand the severity of your situation," he tried diplomatically.

The jovial look on her face dropped instantly. "I understand completely," she said. "You let Koschei go. You let Missy out into the universe. I was kidnapped, tortured and abused. You killed my best friend." Her voice hardened, her own anger breaking through. "You tore me from the Doctor and, I have no doubt, have hurt him. I understand completely what is going on, General. None of you scare me, you've just made me angry."

"Time Child…"

"Tell me," she started loudly, once again cutting him off. "Why am I called the Time Child?"

Kenossium glanced, yet again, at Rassilon to make sure he wasn't overstepping when he replied. "You are not in a position to ask questions," he replied firmly.

"Why not?" she asked. "What else do I have to do here? We're Time Lords, we have all the time in the universe."

"You are _not_ a Time Lord," Rassilon snapped, raising his gauntleted hand up to point at her, as if warning her of her actions. "You are a mongrel, a defect."

"Actually, I'm a child," she corrected. "Your species was ancient and dusty when I was just a twinkle in my father's eye and a mistake on my mother's resumé. I was conceived in a TARDIS, and born in one too. According to stories I've been told I spent the entire pregnancy in there. I'm a child of a TARDIS, I'm a child of Time, more than you ever will be." She shrugged. "But, more than anything, I'm the Time Child because _you_ called me it. And you call me it because Koschei called me that, and I call me that because Koschei call me that, and _you_ call me that because I call myself that and it became legend so you took the name for your stuffy prophecies and high-and-mighty attitude. I'm one, big, walking paradox. I create myself." She grinned. "I learnt that from a very good and old friend of mine."

"Silence! This is irrelevant," Rassilon snapped. "This has nothing to do with the location of the Doctor."

She nodded. "No, I know," she replied. "I'm just wasting time until I escape." She leant in a little close. "And I will. I always escape."

"You are outnumbered and unarmed," the General reminded both of them.

"I know," she replied again. "But you're not."

His mind immediately went to the gun on his belt. He turned to the Lord President. "Perhaps we should instruct our men to come in unarmed," he suggested quietly.

"Good idea," Danni praised. "Of course, it took four of your finest men to get me into this room and the first thing I managed to do was headbutt your ineffectual President. But, yes, come see me unarmed. I do love an unprepared army."

Rassilon stalked forward, against the advice and wishes of his General. "Your insolence is wearing thin, Child," he snarled. "Your precious Doctor would not want to find you scattered across this cell."

"I'm not going to be in this cell," she said confidently. "I'm going to escape. I _always_ escape." She tilted her head slightly. "Honestly, your security is appalling and I've escaped from more fortified places than this."

"You think you're better than us?" Rassilon scoffed.

"I _know_ I'm better than you," she corrected lightly. "First, though, I'm thinking that gauntlet of yours would be handy. Fancy giving me it?"

He turned away from her. "This is pointless," he declared. "Leave her to rot."

Danni sighed. "Oh, none of you ever make this easy, do you?"

She rushed forward, hands out, and grabbed him, pulling him close. He yelled in surprised pain as shoved him to the floor, falling on top of him and pinning him down. She took a swing at him first, dazing him, with every intention of pinning his hands by his head so she could get the gauntlet off.

Oh, but punching him felt _so_ good. She could feel his grunt as her fist moved his lower jaw and something inside her growled in delight. Her whole thought process derailed and she went back in for another swing. And another. Suddenly the man underneath her wasn't her way to escape, he was the cause for all of her pain and he was going to pay. She was going to take out her anger, and her pain and her _grief_ out on him.

The General was quick to rush over to pull her off before she could get any more punches in, but she grabbed his arm, twisting it until she had a good grip and he didn't. Her teeth were bared and her eyes were almost black and feral as she bit his hand. She didn't break through his gloves, but it hurt enough for him to shove her away from both of them and to the floor.

She scrambled up again, rushing over to him with her eyes firmly on the weapon that sat on his belt. It was a rookie move, really. Having the weapon within easy reach was never a good idea. It may have showed off that you were armed, but it made an easy target for anyone you wanted to keep it away from.

Which, in this instance, was the snarling woman who had attacked him.

He took another hit with a little surprise at the strength behind it but moved out of the way as his men grabbed both of her arms and pulled her back. She thrashed against them, an almost feral look on her face. Given half the chance he was certain she would have ripped them all to shreds.

"You won't get away with this!" she shouted. "I'm going to burn this planet!"

"Secure her," he ordered, flexing his fingers slightly. He'd never been bitten before, their foes tended to be a bit more civilised than that. He helped Rassilon of the floor. "Are you alright, Lord President?"

The older man shrugged him off. "We don't have time for this," he snapped. "Make her talk. We must find the Doctor."

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor didn't have a plan, and he needed one. Fast. Usually, when he didn't have a plan, he would pretend he did until one worked itself out in his brain. Everyone who knew him knew this practice of his, and it almost always led to the perfect plan that would save the day.

But he didn't have a plan, and he didn't even pretend to have one. There was no one to pretend to. Danielle was nowhere near and it was only pure guesswork that he assumed that she was in the Capital. If the Time Lords really were trying to get information out of him, keeping Danielle was a very easy and clever move on their part. It was, probably, the best way to get him to do anything at all.

It just happened that, on this day, with the pain they had both had to suffer through, it wasn't going to work at all.

He walked through the desert but didn't make his way towards the city. He found himself unable to even consider going in its direction until he could save Danni and punish them in the process. He knew this all came down to Rassilon, so he needed a way to get the man off the planet. Then he could find Danni, free her, and they could find a way home.

He took his jacket off, flinging it over his shoulder as the heat began to wear him out. He hadn't forgotten the heat of desert from his childhood and, while he didn't have anywhere to go at that particular moment, he didn't want to overheat before he could save her and take her back home to the TARDIS, where they could both move on.

His step faltered. He hadn't spent too much of his time thinking about Clara, but he knew that Danni's time would be split between trying to find him and mourning the loss of her best friend. He was mourning the loss of _their_ best friend. Danni's mantra had always been to save Clara above everyone else and he still echoed that, even if he'd never said it. He would miss her as much as he hadn't trusted her. There was a reason he went to her first, above Jack and above River, when Danni had been taken by Missy. He never wanted her to…

He needed to get back to the TARDIS. He needed to get them both home.

Home…

He stopped in his tracks then turned, heading in the direction to the barn that he knew wasn't far out from the city. Where he'd grown up, where he'd dreamt of the stars, and where, apparently, he'd met his wife for the very first time. He didn't remember it, but she'd told the tale to him with enough detail that he knew that she wasn't making it up. It was amazing how intertwined they had become over the years.

He wasn't bothered if anyone saw him as he entered and climbed up the ladders to the platform where he'd slept many a night. He was actually a little surprised by how much it didn't feel like home. He felt nostalgic, and fond, but not like he wanted to stay. He just wanted to go home. He was so tired. And his hand really did hurt.

Looking around at the hay and the benches that had been his makeshift bed, he was both happy to see that nothing had changed, yet rather disappointed because he'd been alive a rather long time and it was just another piece of proof that Gallifrey was trapped in its own history. Nothing ever moved forward.

Well, that was why _he_ was there. Time to mix it up a bit.

The cloister bells could be heard coming from the city, despite the distance away. They must have known his intentions. The city was worried. Good.

The door to the barn opened and he didn't need to turn around to know who had walked in. Nothing ever changed, and neither did she.

"Why are they ringing all the bells?" she asked in her whiny voice. He hadn't missed _that_. "Never heard so many. What's gone wrong this time? All the fuss they're always making." She paused as she finally caught sight of him. "You up there! You're not supposed to be there," she scolded. She wasn't afraid, like most people would be at an intruder. No, she was just annoyed he was breaking the rules. "I've just put all of that back. It's for the boys, if any of them want to come…"

She trailed off as she finally saw his face. He watched the confusion, then the realisation, then the heartbreak, fall across her face in quick succession. It was nice to see her.

"They'll kill you," she stated as a warning.

"Most likely," he replied. She smiled fondly again. "They have my wife."

She pulled her face. "Is it still…" He shook his head and she looked like he'd told her that the illness she'd been suffering from had gone away. "I never liked her. I hope this one's worth dying for."

"She's worth living for," he said. He headed down the ladders onto the main floor of the building. This building held so many memories. "I'm not leaving," he declared. "I'm famished. Are you still a terrible cook?"

He pretended like that was his plan. Now he had an audience he could pretend and, in pretending, a plan was starting to form. Now he had a witness to his failure it drove his pain away from his grief and pain and to his future. But, until the plan decided to jump out at him, all he was doing was waiting. He knew the Lord President would come soon. He just had to wait.

 _~0~0~0~_

The first scout came while he was about to eat his soup. He had to admit that was a bit of a blessing because he had gathered quite a crowd and while he liked to show off, he was just eating and it was all a bit uncomfortable.

"Doctor, you will lay down any weapons on your person and accompany us to the capital."

He just drew a line in the sand. Literally, of course, because the Time Lords never really understood subtly.

"You will come back immediately," the scout said. There was a pause. "Please. We have your mate. You will accompany us to the capital."

He didn't worry. He knew pulling Danielle as a card was the last of their options before Rassilon and his little minions would appear. They'd shown their hand incredibly quickly.

Then Rassilon sent his finest guards. The General greeted him out on the sand and the Doctor was certain the Lord President would be watching over everything. They would finally be face to face soon.

He still didn't have a plan. All he had was an idea or two trying to join together but he'd worked for less. He took his time, putting his jacket back on, checking himself in the mirror. He looked solemn and determined. Attack Eyebrows and everything. He didn't need a plan. He'd never needed a plan, he just needed to win and, with those eyebrows, it was inevitable.

He hadn't expected quite the lever of anger when he finally saw the High Council, but he had been able to keep it in check. He'd mastered the art of calming his anger of the years. He knew exactly when to realise it, and it was wasted on some stuffy aristocrats.

Then, finally, as he was sat, turning his Confession Dial around in his hands and wondering just how often he'd died, Rassilon showed his face. His old, tired, ugly face. The Doctor never paid any attention to people's appearance. Rassilon just _oozed_ ugliness.

And he made the Doctor _so_ angry.

The Time War was all his fault. The death, the destruction, the loneliness all came back to Rassilon and his self-aggrandising need to always win and be right. How many lives had it stolen? How much of _his_ life had it stolen?

He stepped out into desert and met him stood on the other side of the line he'd drawn. There wasn't a word spoken and he was rather happy to see that Rassilon could see the anger in his face. He was also rather pleased to see the large cut on his forehead, and the bruising that was starting to show. It was as if someone had attacked him. He had absolutely no doubt over who it was and it gave him a little swell of hope; she was still fighting.

Rassilon held his hand out, as if expecting some sort of truce and the Doctor's blood boiled at the idea that he thought he had forgiveness. That he had the _right_ to forgiveness. He smiled slightly in his disbelief and, in return, took out his Confession Dial. He dropped it on the line.

"Get off my planet."

He hadn't expected the words to fall from his lips so soon and, evidently, neither had Rassilon. But they felt right and he wasn't about to back down. Everything on this planet would be a lot better without Rassilon in the way, bringing the whole race down, destroying everything that it meant to be a Time Lord.

Plus, if his guesses were correct, then Danni must have hurt him for a reason. It was more of a warning than a command. If he'd laid a figure on his wife then he was too angry and grief-stricken to worry about his actions.

"We needed to know," Rassilon explained. "You have information about the Hybrid. A danger to us all. If you'd told us what you knew, you could've walked out of there."

"Get off my planet."

"You have nothing, Doctor. _Nothing_! Do you know what I have, out here in the Dry Lands, where there's nobody who matters?" He leant in closer, a smirk on his face. "No witnesses."

"Me too."

If Rassilon had been trying to scare him, it hadn't worked. He didn't feel threatened by the man stood in front of him. He just didn't care. He just wanted him off his planet. He just wanted the Time War to end, to get his wife, and to go home, and the Lord President was stood in his way.

Rassilon, on the other hand, didn't take too kindly to his own threat. He stood a little straighter, offended, and he looked him dead in the eye. "Take aim!" he ordered his soldiers. "Aim at the Doctor!" He stormed over to the General. "Fire on my command."

But his men wouldn't do it. They wouldn't shoot the Doctor and he wouldn't stand by his side. It appeared he was a War Hero to most. He hadn't really expected that, but if it got him where he wanted to be then he'd take the mantel with open arms. He let everyone move over to his side of the line, letting Rassilon know exactly where they all stood; against him.

Even his General, eventually, chucked down his gun and stepped over the line. He leant in close to the Doctor. "Your wife, sir, is being held in the cells underneath the spire," he explained. "I thought you would like to know that she headbutted the Lord President."

The Doctor smirked slightly. "I would like to know that," he confirmed as Rassilon was taken away, humiliated. "She's alive?"

"Yes, sir," the General replied. "Would you like to be taken to her?"

Yes. It was an easy question to answer, which made the shake of his head even harder to do. He couldn't pick her up without a plan, not yet. She had been taken because of him. Throughout his time in the Confession Dial he'd seen the panic on her face, hear her screaming, at just the sight of being restrained against her will again. He may have sent Rassilon away but there was no chance they'd just let him walk off the planet.

Plus, he had a promise to keep. A promise she made him make every time there was a little bit of danger. A promise that Ashildr broke but one he intended to keep if it made her happy. And now, with Gallifrey at his disposal, one he could fix again.

He was going to save Clara Oswald.

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni laughed. It was a manic, joyful, loud and powerful laugh that most would think would sound foreign coming from her mouth and yet she didn't do anything to keep it back. She then groaned as she stretched her back, trying to get the ache out of her spine. It only worked a little.

"They've found him?" she asked. "Or did he come out to see them?"

The two guards shared a look. "The Doctor is currently on his way back to the city," one explained, as per his command. "The Lord President will not be joining him."

"Now, that _is_ interesting," Danni purred. "Does that mean our little BDSM game is over?" She shook her wrists, listening to the metal clink together. She laughed again; it was a nice sound.

"No, ma'am," the other guard said. "Until you have been neutralised as a threat you are to remain."

She pouted. "Aw, here was me thinking you were coming to be nice to me," she replied. "If you had, I might have spared you. Now you're just going to burn like the rest of your pathetic species. That's a shame, I liked you." She nodded over to the slightly shorter of two. "Especially you, Tim."

He frowned. "My name is not Tim," he said. She was sure they weren't supposed to interact with her, but Tim in particular didn't seem well-trained. She assumed he was one of the replacement soldiers from the Time War.

"Oh, I don't know your name," she replied. "But in my head, you're Tim and he," she nodded to the other one, "is Fuck-knuckle. You make a good team."

Fuck-knuckle didn't seem too happy at his name and walked over to her. Silently he picked up the metal device hanging around her neck and she opened her mouth willingly to let him put it inside, tightening it up so that she could no longer speak.

"You will remain in our custody until we have orders otherwise," he told her. She tilted her head to the side, gesturing like she was trying to talk. He watched her for a moment then removed the device again.

"I'm never not going to be a threat," she told him happily. "You're all going to die, and it's not going to be because of the Doctor, it's going to be because of me. He might have been able to save you, once. Not anymore." And she opened her mouth, ready to let him silence her again.

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor had gone to see the cloisters himself. The shadows of the maze-like area were something he hadn't been able to enjoy as his anger built up again. It came in waves and, talking to his old friend Ohila, brought on a bigger wave than he had been expected.

They all wanted to know about the hybrid. About this creature that was supposed to destroy the universe, and Gallifrey, to heal its broken hearts.

Heal _her_ broken hearts.

Was it any wonder he didn't want to talk about it? That he'd put himself through a torturous few billion years to keep quiet and escape instead of ending his own suffering? It wasn't the first time the word had cropped up in their life. It wasn't the first time it had cropped up in _his_ life, either. How was he supposed to know about the Hybrid, something even the Time Lords feared, without seeing hints of it in his wife? The woman who was part human, part Time Lord. A hybrid of two warrior races?

Sure, he understood the misconception of the hybrid being a Dalek and Time Lord. They were both warrior races and far superior to most in that regard. But a Dalek and a Time Lord. _Really_? How was that even supposed to work? In the mythos and the grandeur prophecies commanded they always forgot the logic of the suggestions. A Time Lord, no Time Lord, would ever willingly bond with a Dalek and no Dalek would allow anything so impure to survive.

But a Time Lord and a human? He'd been taught from such a young age about the way the humans spread across the universe. Usually it was as a warning, to explain why they didn't interfere as the humans did. The universe may not find them as terrifying as the Daleks, but quite frankly he always thought they were. He loved humanity with both of his hearts, but they could be terrifying.

And down below them all, in a cell, was the perfect mix of them both. A human who could regenerate, who could be emotional and rash. A woman who had the entirety of time to heal her wounds and a universe that had given her many. A woman who he loved more than time itself, more than his TARDIS and his home, but who he had seen devastated by grief and pain. He'd seen the way his Danielle had held Ashildr against the wall and promised revenge and he knew that there was no way she was going to back down from it. And he knew he would never stop her. He wouldn't want to. He _didn't_ want to. He fought his way out of his torture chamber to find her, but after that he would willingly follow her anywhere.

And it was frightening, but he was happy to. He was happy to burn the universe around her to see her happy.

And it wouldn't do. He knew that. He knew that she needed help he was never going to be able to provide because he'd lost her to madness once and he wasn't going to do it again.

He needed help, and there was only one person in the universe that it could be. The only person who loved her as much as he did, but who wouldn't enable her anger.

He looked out at the table he was sat at. Ohila was sat at the other end, the General walking around it. Apart from another couple Sister of Karn, there was no one else left in the Council Chamber. He had made sure of that.

"What colour is it?" he asked the General about the Hybrid. Perhaps, if he knew more about what the prophecies said about it, he could rule out his wife. Maybe she was just one big coincidence.

"I don't know," the General replied, confused. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Prophecies, they never tell you anything useful, do they?" he retorted.

From the other end of the table, Ohila shot him a look. "This is no time to play the fool."

"It's the end of the universe. It's the only time I've got," he pointed out. "And you want me to keep you all safe."

"Can you?" the General asked. No, beseeched. That was a good word and the Doctor liked the sound of it.

"I'll need help, obviously," he pointed out.

"Gallifrey is at your command," the General promised. His mind immediately began whirring into gear. He finally had a plan.

"Oh, not from you lot. No, you'd cramp my style. Look at your hats," he retorted. "I'm going to need the use of an extraction chamber, to talk to an old friend."

 _~0~0~0~_

The Extraction Chamber was white a clinical. Everyone who was in there averted their gaze as he walked in, like they were paying him respect. Once again the Doctor's skin crawled at the idea of helping any of them after what they had done to him. After what they had done to _them_.

He looked to the General, who had followed him in like a dutiful puppy. "My wife," he started. "Where is she, again?"

"In the cells," the General replied.

"Why?" he asked. "Why the cells and not the Council Chamber?"

The General shifted slightly on the spot, obviously uncomfortable in his answer. "The Hybrid is thought to be a cross between the Daleks and the Time Lords," he explained. "But it was considered… _unwise_ to not consider the possibility that the Time Child was also a viable candidate. And our Lord Pre—" The Doctor shot him a look at he cleared his throat. "It was thought that if we had your wife then you might be more inclined to help us."

That the Doctor didn't doubt at all. He was, thought, surprised that the Time Lords had thought of her as an option for the Hybrid. Usually, if they had decided something, nothing could sway them.

"You thought keeping my wife in a cell would make me _more_ inclined to help you?"

"We kept her confined as a precaution," the General insisted. "We believed it to be safer for everyone involved. Would you like…"

"No," the Doctor snapped before he could even finish it. "I want no one near her. No guards, no soldiers. I want her left alone. Is that understood?"

"Sir, I must…"

The Doctor glared at him. "You want my help?" he asked. "Do what I say."

The General bowed his head slightly. "Of course." He turned, setting off stage one of the Doctor's plan. His hearts started to race. He knew how little time he had to work with and he knew that it was all a delicate balance of events that he had to keep in place.

With everyone under the explicit instruction to do _exactly what he said_ , it was quick to get the portal open to the moment of Clara's death. He watched her take her final steps and saw Danni run out after her just as the Raven was about to hit her in the chest.

She looked very confused and he didn't blame her, but he held his hand out for her like he had done in his own time stream a lifetime ago. "This way," he instructed. "I can save you!"

It took her another moment, but she followed him out into the Extraction Chamber. She looked around at the whiteness and the people and she still didn't seem to quite understand what was going on.

"Doctor? Where am I? Is this the TARDIS?" she asked. He should have been surprised that she could feel the Time Lord-ness of the room, but he wasn't and his face began to pull into a scowl.

"No, of course not," he retorted. "Would I have…" He cut himself off. She'd died and he still couldn't help but feel annoyed at everything she said. He didn't have time for his own anger. "It's a planet."

"What planet?"

He shrugged. "Basically, my place."

She took it at face value, looking at all of the people watching again. "I was about to die," she stated, pointing behind her. "I should be dead." She glanced at the open doorway that led to the moment the Raven was going kill her.

"Forget about that. It doesn't matter," he told her shortly. She looked back at him.

"Why?" she asked, brows furrowing slightly. He glanced over to the General, who she was sure was looking at her like he pitied her.

"Danielle," was his one-word reply. She straightened slightly. If the Doctor had saved her because Danni was in trouble, she was absolutely fine with that.

"Hang on," she said, her frazzled brain finally catching up with herself. "Your place?"

"Yeah."

"What do you mean 'your place'?"

"My place," he repeated as if it should have answered everything. He raised his eyebrows, shooting her a pointed look and she put it all together. His place. A planet. No TARDIS but it felt like on.

"You don't mean…" she started and he nodded. "Gallifrey?"

"Gallifrey," he confirmed. She looked around again with a new appreciation. She had been on Gallifrey before, but it was only for a moment as she had walked through a painting, then again in a barn in the middle of nowhere. She'd never met any other Time Lords other than the Doctor and Danni.

"Okay. Er, hang on, wait." She started pacing, then put her hand on her head. Something had to be wrong with her. Her head hurt. Something wasn't right. "What? What? Did I miss something?"

"Well, we're several billion years in the future and the universe is pretty much over, so, yeah, quite a lot," he retorted. She frowned, ignoring his tone and trying to find the source of her headache.

"Young lady, Miss Oswald." She looked over at the man in the armour with the deep voice. "I'm afraid we only have a very few minutes with you."

She didn't recognise him. She walked over to the Doctor's side, looking the man over. "Who's he?" she asked her friend.

"According to the Doctor, you can tell us something about the creature known as the Hybrid," the General continued like she hadn't asked the question. She also had absolutely no idea what he was talking about, and she had never heard of anything called the 'Hybrid' at all.

The pause showed her what was wrong. Her hands went up to her ears. There was a faint ringing of silence, as if the world around her was incredibly too quite for what it should be. The ringing hurt. "Oh. Oh, that's weird. What's wrong with my ears?" she asked.

"Nothing," the Doctor dismissed. "It's a side effect."

She shook her head. She knew that wasn't right. Something wasn't right with her ears. "Oh, it's weird. Everything sounds wrong. I can hear you. I can hear you fine. It's like, I don't know, it's like, er. It's like something's missing."

The General stepped forward. "Doctor, we have to tell her. We always tell them."

"Tell me what?" she asked him before looking up at the Doctor. "What's he talking about? Doctor? Doctor, what's going on?"

He really didn't want to tell her. He was wasting time as it was with the whole charade. Now he had her alive he just needed to get her out and down to the cells below them. While he still had a breath left in his body he wasn't going to let Danielle get hurt by the loss of her family. He wasn't going to suffer the loss of _anyone_ else. He'd lost two of Danni's bodies, he couldn't lose anyone else!

"Clara, there's a sound you've been living with every day of your life, but you've learned not to hear," he explained. "Your heartbeat." She blinked, surprised. "Your physical processes have been time looped. Frozen between one heartbeat and the next. Even your breathing is just a habit. You don't need it."

Her hand went to her neck looking for her pulse but she couldn't feel it. She quickly felt her chest for her heartbeat, but there was nothing there. There was no pulse in the wrist. She held her breath and realised that it didn't feel like she was holding her breath at all. She really was frozen. Walking around on Gallifrey but also frozen in time.

"Although you are currently conscious and aware, in fact, you died billions of years ago," the General explained as kindly as he could.

Clara looked up at the Doctor. He looked furious, like he was about to kill the man where he stood. She hadn't seen that anger on his face in a long time. "Doctor?"

"We have extracted you at the very end of your time stream to request your help," the General continued. "Once we're finished here, you will be returned to your final moments. Your death is an established historical event and cannot be altered. I'm sorry."

The Doctor was still ignoring her and glaring at the man in armour. She grabbed his arm and pulled him around. "Doctor, will you just talk to me!"

"I'll try not to break your jaw," he replied, much to her confusion.

"My jaw?" she repeated.

"I wasn't talking to you." He turned, taking a swing at the man in the armour. As he stumbled, the Doctor grabbed his gun from his waist and aimed it directly at him.

,"Doctor, you can't do this. You know you can't," the General told him.

"No, General, I don't know that," he snarled before trying to aim at everyone at once. His eyes were scanning across the room to make sure no one came too close. Clara stared up at him, horrified. "Everybody, stay exactly where you are! No moving about. On pain of death, no-one take a selfie!"

"These people are unarmed," the General protested.

"So are you."

"Doctor, I will not let you leave here," the General told him. "That's the sidearm of the President's personal security. There isn't a stun setting."

"I will not let Clara die," the Doctor swore. She could only stare at the back of his head. What had happened? What _was_ happening?

"She's been dead for half the lifetime of the universe," the General tried again, hoping to talk him down. "If you tried to change that, you could fracture Time itself. Doctor, Lord President, are you really going to take that risk?"

"For Danielle, I'll do anything," he replied and everyone in the room believed him. "Regeneration?"

The General straightened. "Tenth."

The Doctor nodded. "Good luck."

"You too, sir."

With one shot the man stumbled back, staggering as he very quickly began to die. The Doctor turned his attention quickly away from him and to the technitian behind him. "I want a neural block. Human compatible. Quickly! Come on!" he demanded. One was quickly given to him and he grabbed both it then Clara's hand, leading her out of the room. "Come on, quick!"

"Doctor!" Clara protested. "Will you just… just stop for a moment!"

"We can't!" he exclaimed. His mind was racing, his hearts pounding again. He knew he only had a small window and that they still might not escape even if they found Danielle quickly. But now he had almost everything she needed. He had himself - obviously - and Clara, and he was still working out how to get the TARDIS but he knew he'd get there. He knew he was going to win.

Clara stared at the back of his head as he practically dragged her away from the yelling and orders to catch them. "Where are we going?" she asked. "Where's Danni?"

"The prison," he snapped. "Stop asking questions!"

She rolled her eyes. It would seem that, even if she knew that he was softer towards her now, dying really hadn't changed his attitude at all. She was still happy to follow him, though, if Danni was in trouble. And if she was in the prison, chances were that something bad had happened.

She picked up her speed so she was less being dragged and more running alongside him under her own power. "Doctor, what did he mean? I am really dead?"

"No, you're not. You're _almost_ dead. And that's good enough," he explained. He was trying and focus on finding the best way down to save prison level. The Citadel was so big. Bloody Time Lords, always showing off. "Danielle wants you alive, so you're alive. That's it. That's all that matters."

Clara stared at him like he had gone completely insane, but he didn't seem to notice and that worried her all the more. He hadn't saved her because she could be saved, he'd saved her regardless and that was concerning. She knew what time could be like. She knew the risks of messing around with it and he had done it to save Danni from grieving. The pit in her stomach grew, amplified by her lack of heartbeat.

This was worse than she could have possibly feared.

 _~0~0~0~_

The prison level seemed like it should have been heavily guarded, but there was minimal staff and the Doctor had managed to bluff his way in. There were doors across each wall, each locked from the outside. The Doctor finally let go of her hand. "Find Danielle," he instructed, before rushing off and leaving her stood in the hallway.

"How-How am I supposed to open the doors?!" she called after him.

"Find a way!" he snapped, pulling out his sunglasses and putting them out. She watched him disappear down a set of stairs that seemed to lead to another area. She threw her arms out to the side.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?!" she shouted after him but there was no reply. She placed her hands on her hips, looking at the rows upon rows of cells she was supposed to break into. The rows upon rows of cells that could hold any number of dangerous criminals.

"Great," she muttered. "Just great. I've been brought back to life only to die again." She took a deep breath and headed to the first door. "Right, please be nice to me," she begged quietly. "Please be nice." She looked over the lock. It had a panel on the front which was obviously a touch panel. She hovered her hand in front of it for a couple of moments, wondering if something would happen to her if she touched it. Then again, would the Doctor _really_ let her get hurt?

She pressed her hand against it and it began to glow under her touch. Then the whole thing flashed red and it denied her access. She quickly pulled her hand away, looking back towards the entrance to make sure she hadn't triggered some sort of alarm.

No one came, but she didn't try again. For some reason it seemed like a bad idea to potentially get caught for breaking into a prison cell.

She took a step back, looking up and down the door. What the hell was she going to do?

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor heard Clara call after him but ignored her, knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to get into any of the cells. They were all locked in such a way that only two guards at a time were able to unlock it. The hand scanners on the front were primitive technology for the Time Lords, but they were perfect for the job. That was why he needed his sunglasses. He also knew that the cells above would be empty. He knew the Council and the laws well; the only people kept in them were war criminals, people who caused ruckus and people who would hurt their prized civilisation. And they were at the end of the universe. There was no one left to fear.

Nobody except one.

He needed to keep Clara distracted while he found Danielle. She'd need a moment once she was free to understand that before he could explain that he'd saved Clara and that everything was okay. He needed a moment to prepare her, and he needed a moment to see her for himself.

One by one he opened the cell doors, his anxiety building as he found nothing inside. He knew he didn't have long. He guessed that, having just been saved the moment she was going to die, Clara was going to have more pep in her step.

The empty rooms just annoyed him as he continued, begging that she was in the next one. Then the next one. Then the next. He was so sick of seeing of empty rooms that he almost dismissed the one she was in as empty as well. But there, at the back, was his Danielle. She was stood upright, her hands attached to chains that went to the corners of the wall, her feet also restrained. She was stood straight due to the tautness of the chains, but that wasn't what caused him to rush over to her in panic.

That was the mouthpiece she had keeping her mouth slightly open and her voice silenced. And there was a metal restraint around her neck. It reminded him too much of how the Dalek he had found deep in the bowls of Utah back when he was his Ninth self had been restrained.

"Danni!"

She was looking at him, but her face was devoid of the panic or fear that he was expecting from her. It didn't stop him for quickly looking around the contraption until he found the release, chucking it far across the room.

She worked her jaw slightly. "You know, that wasn't very nice," she said.

"What happened?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

She tried to nod. "I'm a biter," she stated offhandedly, like it wasn't a big deal.

He paused as he pointed his sunglasses at the lock for the one around her neck. "You bit someone?"

"Give me some credit," she replied, insulted. "I bit many people. Biting one person doesn't get you muzzled."

"They did mention you were being a bit of a menace," he commented. "I was rather impressed. And proud." The cuff fell to the ground and she tilted her head from side to side, cracking the stiffness out of it.

"What can I say? They pissed me off."

He frowned, concerned. He had expected panicking. He'd expected screaming and begging for him to let her free, like she had done when the teleport bracelet had first been clamped around her wrist. "You seem relatively calm for someone who's been chained up."

She snorted. "Oh _please_ , they call this chaining me up?" she scoffed. "Missy once left me chained up until my knees gave way and I dislocated both shoulders on the way down to the ground. The way they've got be restrained here means that, when I get too weak, I'll just be suspended. It's quite amateurish. For a race of stuffy aristocrats, I expected better."

Her tone of voice sounded as foreign as her words should be. He made quick work of the rest of her restraints and she stepped out of them, stretching everything out. Once she was satisfied with how she felt, she gave a nod and looked at him. "Now what?" she asked. "Blow the fucker up?"

"No-No," he replied, stuttering slightly at the casual way she seemed to want to blow the city away. The coldness that she was radiating was disturbing. He suddenly wished he'd brought Clara down with him. "We're going to escape. There has to be a TARDIS we can steal to get home."

She stared at him, incredulous. "Seriously?" she asked him. " _That's_ the plan? Theta, they _killed Clara_. They tore us apart. They let Missy get out of their sight! Why the hell would any of that get to stand?!"

"We're not letting it stand," he promised. "Danielle, you have to understand that staying isn't an option. I've got…" He glanced over his shoulder, hoping for a Clara who didn't appear. "There's things you don't understand."

"Where were you?" she demanded. "Where did they send you?"

He shifted slightly on the spot. "Oh, nowhere, I just came the long way 'round," he dismissed.

"No," she said almost instantly, looking at him expectantly.

"It wasn't that bad," he tried again.

"No," she repeated. He sighed.

"Alright, fine," he retorted. "I was trapped inside my Confession Dial. I had to keep dying to escape, but I was replaced by a copy of myself and I can't remember it. I fought _billions_ of years as they tried to extract information from me that I was not willing to give. I was in pain, alone, and left to rot." His own anger spiked and he stopped, swallowing hard. "Now will you just…" He motioned to the door. "We have to leave."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, do you _actually_ expect me to leave?" She shook her head. "I'm not going _anywhere_ until I found Rassilon and his stupid, old, smug face and ripped it off with my bare hands!" She was shaking slightly, her eyes wide with her manic rage. "We _saved_ them! We spent five hundred years together on that godforsaken planet! I lost _three hundred_ years of my life with my husband! And in return they did _this_ to us! They broke my hearts and I'm supposed to just _walk away!"_ She caught herself shouting and stopped, taking in little breaths. "Look," she started, calming herself down. "I know this is your home. And I know you love it, no matter what it became, but I don't. I can't leave it like this. Not after what they've done to us. Not after what they've done to _you._ It needs to go. It needs to end."

He stared at her, absolutely horrified. He'd expected her broken from being caged, but _this_ was just what he'd feared. This was the Hybrid; standing in the ruins of Gallifrey, healing her broken hearts. Part human, part Time Lord and screaming in pain.

He nodded, swallowing hard again. He rubbed a hand over his face. Clara wasn't going to be enough. She was too far gone. "Alright, alright," he started. "If it's what you need. If it stops _you_ doing it, I'm sure I can find something in the…"

"Doctor? Where the hell are you?"

Clara's appeared in the doorway, startling the both. The Doctor's hearts plummeted as he realised he had so quickly given into Danni's anguish to help him heal his own. He had been ready to blow up the entire city because of what the Council had done to them both.

Danni, on the other hand, felt her rage disappear as she smacked in the stomach by the sight of her best friend, now alive and looking relived to see her. "Danni!" Clara exclaimed. "Brilliant, can we go now? This place seemed to be empty. Luckily, because who knows what could have happened if I'd actually been able to get into one of the cells."

Danni shook her head once. "Clara?"

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Sorry for the long break, again. I can't really keep up with weekly updates anymore, but I am really trying so I hope you can all bear with me._

 _Reviews!_

 _ **Oh yeah** \- Thanks!_

 _ **Authora97** \- Hehe because I crave angst in all forms!_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- I know! Hope you like this one :)_

 _ **sam** \- I was a wreck writing it, so I feel ya_

 _ **BlueFlame27** \- I'm glad that came across, because I do think they are so complex! I mean, he hates her but he doesn't, she sees him as this rival for Danni's affection but doesn't really, and she wants to be friends with him and he wants to be friends with here and... ahh, I could go on forever!_

 _ **bored411** \- I'm not sure if saying I hope you enjoyed this one is appropriate, but I hope this follows on as you would want, at the very least :D_


	47. The Choice

Clara's gaze shifted from Danni to the Doctor, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion. She had expected a much different reaction, after all she had just come back from the dead. She'd expected Danni to be happy but then pretty dismissive as, after all, they were breaking her free from a prison on Gallifrey. She had expected warmth, and joy, and then all of them getting back to what they did best; running.

She hadn't expected Danni to just freeze, staring at her with a mix of horror and pure surprise. Her eyes were wide and she hadn't moved since she'd stepped into the room.

"Um, shouldn't we be, you know?" Clara started, nodding her head out the door. "We still have a lot to do."

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, yes, we know," he snapped. He looked down at his wife. She seemed to have calmed down, that hatred already ebbing away and he knew he'd done nothing but fan it further. He had failed because he knew that, no matter what, he would do anything for her. "How about we…"

She waved her hand, cutting him off without even looking at him. She struggled to find the strength to move her feet but she did, walking straight over to Clara. She reached out, taking her by the arms to see if she was real. After all, she'd been fooled many times before with people who weren't there.

But she was and Danni knew that. Clara was standing in front of her. Her best friend was no longer dead and Danni couldn't find any words at all to express herself. She was so happy, of course she was happy. She was absolutely baffled, and a little intrigued, but mostly all she could think about was how she'd seen Clara drop to the floor, dead, and the next thing she knew Clara was trying to get them back on track in their adventure like nothing had changed.

She couldn't speak, so she pulled Clara close and wrapped her up in the tightest hug she could. She buried her face in her shoulder and felt her solid in her arms. She ignored her anger, and her hate, and just focused on how she was back.

Clara, whilst incredibly happy at the hug, still felt rather concerned as Danni clung to her like she was about to disappear again. "Alright, this is… this is nice," she stated. "A little concerning, but nice."

Danni pulled back, her eyes searching her face as if she was looking for a million answers. Clara wished she had any to give her, but she still wasn't quite sure what had happened. She knew that she was supposed to be dead, and that the Doctor had done something he really shouldn't have to bring her back, but the hows and the whys were still so confusing.

"I…" Danni started before, turning around, one hand on Clara's arm just to make sure that she didn't disappear. The Doctor didn't even look surprised to see her. "Did you do this?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "What? Bring your friend back to life?" he asked, like it wasn't anything at all. "I might have, it's been a busy day."

Danni laughed in pure delight at his dismissive answer. She let go of Clara and rushed over, chucking her arms around him and practically tackling him with a hug of his own. "You are amazing," she told him. "I missed you so much."

He held her close, taking a moment to enjoy the relief of having her in his arms again. He'd missed her so much when he'd been trapped that it had almost driven him mad. He had just wanted to see her again and time had been all counting down to escaping and saving her.

Then he'd found her and almost instantly given in to his anger at the situation to make her happy. He had to be better for her, he had to be better for himself. He _knew_ he was better than that. Clara had been right; he needed to be stronger because she wasn't ready to be yet.

"I missed you too, my Pet," he replied softly. She looked up at him and even though she looked calm and happy, he knew that hatred was still simmering behind the scenes. He needed to get her off the planet and back to travelling the universe. Perhaps they needed to visit her family some more. Perhaps he needed to admit that he was still healing himself.

There was a lot of perhaps that he couldn't quite deal with just yet. Instead, for now, he took her lips in a quick kiss that Clara rolled her eyes at. Honestly, no matter what, they could never keep their hands off each other.

She cleared her throat pointedly. "We're _supposed_ to be escaping!" she pointed out.

Danni broke the kiss off, despite not wanting to. "I'm so glad you're alive, sweetie," she said. "We'd never get anything done otherwise."

"Well, I'm not quite alive…" Clara started and Danni frowned.

"What do you mean?" she asked. She looked up at the Doctor, suddenly suspicious. She wasn't quite as sure as she had been that they were real anymore. "What does she mean?"

He watched her close off again and the panic set in. He didn't want her to fall back to her default anger unless there wasn't anything else he could do. "She died," he reminded her. "It's just going to take a while for her body to reacclimatise to being alive again. Humans, they're so delicate. Once we're back in a TARDIS I can sort it."

She nodded, believing him instantly due to her happiness and, internally, he sighed in relief. It wasn't exactly a lie, because when they got to a TARDIS then he was going to make everything right with the universe again, even if it didn't agree with him. And it wouldn't do her any detriment to not know the exact nature behind Clara's resurrection.

He linked his fingers with hers, still not feeling like she was firmly by his side, then he began running. "We don't have time for nattering. Miss Oswald, follow us!"

Clara did as she was told. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Down," he explained. "Into the bowels of the city. We're going to the Cloisters."

"The Cloisters?" Danni repeated. "Is that where the bells were coming from?"

They rushed back up the stairs to where the Doctor and Clara had broken into the prison, then they dove into the elevator to take them down.

"They ring when there is signification danger," he explained.

"Like you?" Clara bit out, shooting him a look. He'd killed a guy right in front of her. That was so unlike the Doctor that she still couldn't believe that she'd seen it. She knew he'd do anything for Danni but he'd never out-and-out killed like that.

Danni didn't miss the look. "Well, he is a formidable foe," she pointed out.

"Or both of us," he replied. "You were biting them."

"Yes. And then they chained me up like Hannibal Lecter. I think we're even," she retorted.

"What I don't understand is how any of us are here," Clara piped up. "I thought you said Gallifrey was frozen in another dimension?"

"Well, they must have unfrozen it and come back," the Doctor replied, a little short.

"How?"

"I didn't ask. It would make them feel clever," he retorted. The elevator door opened onto a dark, damp, and rather dank looking area. Cobwebs and wires seemed to cover ever pillar and there seemed to be no end to the twists and turns in it. Danni grimaced slightly, wondering if she had any sanitiser in her pockets. Why did everything bad have to be gross?

The Doctor pulled out a gun from his pocket, startling Danni. He chucked it away from him as far as he could. He hadn't liked having it on his person at all, but it had all be a necessity. He was almost at the end, he didn't need it now.

"Hang on, you have a gun?" Danni asked him. "Since when did you carry a gun?"

"Since when did _you_?" he questioned.

"Since I was kidnapped and…" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What, exactly, did they do to you?"

"It doesn't matter," he dismissed. "I told you, I don't remember it." He began walking away, looking for the exit. He knew there was one somewhere and he knew no one would dare following them down into the Cloisters. They'd have to be mad to.

"If it doesn't matter then you wouldn't be carrying a gun," she retorted, jogging slightly to keep up with his large stride. "What else aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing," he retorted. "We don't have time for this. You can get angry when we get out."

"No, I'm not having that. We don't keep secrets from each other."

He stopped his strides, turning to her. "Yes, we do," he stated. "You've still not told me a fraction of what happened with Missy. You've never told me about how you knew up to the end of the Ponds. You have no idea what I did when I fought in the Time War. We keep secrets when it's too painful for the other to know."

"And this is too painful for you for me to know?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged. "It's happened to me. The pain is fresh but it's happened. It's too painful for you to know and neither of us would intentionally hurt the other."

"If it hurt you then I want to know," she hissed. "I-I don't care about how much it will hurt me."

"Well, I do," he snapped. "When the pain lessens, I will tell you. But until then we don't have time to argue over it."

Danni pressed her lips together, trying not to feel hurt because she knew he was right. She did keep stuff from him because she wasn't sure how he was going to react. She didn't want to hurt him and she sure as hell didn't want to relive anything. She shouldn't have to relive it.

But they were supposed to share with each other. They always had done. As he looked away from her, she felt her chest tighten. When had they lost that? She had been trying to open up more and let him into their time apart. She still didn't know much about how he'd spent that time.

Clara could see how upset she was getting, so she stepped forward, trying to pull the Doctor's attention to her as they continued through the maze. "What is a neural block?" she asked.

"Never mind," he replied. "It's-It's just a thing, it doesn't matter."

"It mattered enough for you to kill a guy over."

Danni slowed down slightly. He _killed_ someone over a neural block? He'd actually killed someone?

"We're on Gallifrey. Dying is like a bad case of the flu. He'll be fine." He sharply turned a corner. "This way. Keep up."

Danni hung at the back, looking at the back of her husband's head, feeling like he was a stranger. They had both done questionable things in their time, but he felt a lot more closed off than he normally did. But if Clara had been there, it had to have been after he'd saved Clara. And she had a pretty good idea what a neural block was.

"How did you save Clara?" she asked quietly.

The shadows moved, something drifting around them, patrolling the area, shrieking loudly. The Doctor's arm shot out to stop them where they stood. "The Cloister Wraiths," he explained to them both. "Sliders, we used to call them. They guard the Matrix."

His panic was terrifying. Outwardly he seemed fine, ignoring questions and explaining the situation like it was a normal adventure, but Danni could feel the change in him. There was always a sense of enjoyment in their more serious and dangerous travels. Both of them, to an extent, enjoyed the thrill of running away, but that wasn't what was happening. His flight response was fully kicked in and he was running as fast as he could. And that was terrifying.

"We're safe in here," he continued. "They only attack if you make any attempt to leave."

He started walking again, in the opposite direction of the Wraith. "How long are we planning to stay?" Clara asked.

"Or, actually, if you try and stay."

Clara looked to Danni, checking that she had heard his words the same as she did. Danni looked a little confused, so she assumed that it hadn't been the strange way her ears were reacting to not having a heartbeat.

"You realise how well that conversation went, right?" she asked.

He looked between the two. Then he looked a little sheepish. "I'm starting to, a bit, yeah." He nodded his head. "This way."

Clara did the dutiful thing and went to follow him when Danni's hand reached out and grabbed hers tightly. She looked at the other woman, who looked ready to either destroy the world or break down crying.

"How did he save you?" she asked. Clara looked down at their hands. She really didn't want to think about how great it was to be holding her hand again. She didn't want to lose that just yet.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "They did explain but I can't really remember. It was all a little chaotic."

Danni's eyes searched her, looking for the lie in her words, then she nodded. She didn't let go of her hand, though, as they caught up with the Doctor. She didn't say anything and she really wasn't thinking much about Clara at all. She was still waiting for the Doctor to show off his cleverness around bringing her back to life. Everything felt so wrong.

 _~0~0~0~_

" _Exterminate!"_

The Doctor was still rambling, telling them both the stories of the Cloisters in an attempt to keep his own worries at bay. He had been rash when he'd saved Clara, with only the want to make Danni happy again driving him forward, but now he wasn't sure what to do next. His claim that the TARDIS would be able to bring her back to life was only an educated guess at best, and the neural block felt heavy in his pocket because he knew that, even in saving her, Danni couldn't be her friend anymore. Clara couldn't remember them anymore. Just like Donna; he was going to have to do it again.

What Danni and Clara had mistaken as vines were, actually, cables that fed data around the database they were currently trying to escape. In those vines, unfortunately, things got caught. The Dalek in front of them was one of those things.

"What the hell is that doing here?" Danni hissed. "I thought we were out of the Time War?"

"Don't worry, it's been neutralised," he reassured her. "Those aren't vines. They're like fibre optic cables, but they're alive and growing. We're in the biggest database in history."

The Dalek struggled weakly against the cables. " _Exterminate… me_ ," it begged.

"That's horrible," she whispered before scrunching her nose up. "It's making me feel sorry for a Dalek."

"Sometimes people are stupid enough to break in."

"And?" Clara prompted.

He looked at her, exasperated. "It's a database," he reiterated. "They get filed."

" _Exterminate… me_ …"

"Maybe we should," Danni suggested. "Nothing deserves that, not even a Dalek."

The Doctor shook his head. "There's nothing we can do," he quickly replied. "Come on." He started walking before she could question him further. He couldn't let her kill something. He couldn't just keep enabling her. They both needed to be better.

Around them were Weeping Angels, all trying to escape and catch the pair. Cybermen were reaching out from their vine-like prisons but all they could do was follow the Doctor through the twisting, winding path that he seemed to be on.

"What's to defend in a crypt?" Clara asked.

"The Matrix isn't just a crypt. It's a giant data slice, like Missy set up on Earth to- to capture me," Danni explained. "Time Lords are uploaded to it when they die. This is the summation of Time Lord knowledge and history. A lot of species would do a lot of bad things to get hold of what it contains."

The Doctor turned his head. "Where did you learn that?" he asked.

"Missy," Danni replied, twisting so she didn't get hit by a large hanging cobweb. "I-I convinced her I was finally ignoring my human ways and trying to become like her for a little while. She used to give me history lessons."

"That's my job," the Doctor grumbled to himself. "Nothing wrong with a bit of humanity."

"If it got me free I was willing to become a bloody Slitheen," Danni retorted. "She was a rubbish teacher. She barely ever told me anything useful. And she made herself appear in everything. It was like a kid playing superheroes. She had to have every single superpower."

"He was always the same. When we were children he always had to be the most powerful whatever we were playing," he replied.

Clara shook her head to herself. One minute they were fighting, next they were bonding over the woman who had kidnapped Danni. To be honest, it felt rather normal for them.

The Doctor was about to continue when something on the ground caught his eye. Something seemed to be shining from underneath the dirt and dust that covered the floor. "Oh," he stated, stopped and turning around. Danni's gaze followed his and she saw the Gallifreyan pattern that they were all stood on.

"Oh," she repeated. She stepped off. "What is that?"

"Looks like the primary service hatch," he explained as he started to clear it off. "Just have to work out the key." He waved his hand over it, trying to both read what it said and feel the energy it was giving off. "The Matrix can predict the future, generate prophecies, out of algorithms, ring the Cloister bells in the event of impending catastrophe."

"So the Sliders are just like a firewall, right?" Danni asked him. The wailing still echoed through the halls and it was more unnerving than the dark and the monsters around them.

"They're projections for inside the Matrix itself. The dead, manning the battlements."

Danni grimaced slightly as she reached into her pocket. Now they had stopped she could finally try and find something to clean her hands with. Everything felt dusty and she could feel it on her skin. "That sounds very Time Lord-y," she muttered, squeezing a blob of the clear liquid she found onto her hands and rubbing them vigorously.

Clara looked between the two. Once upon a time, long ago, she had been given a large amount of knowledge about computers. But then she had been flooded by the Doctor, and grief and grading scales and it had all started to fade away. "Was I supposed to understand any of that?" she asked them.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. He didn't have time to stand there explaining everything to her just because she didn't pay attention. "The Time Lords have got a big computer made of ghosts, in a crypt, guarded by more ghosts."

Clara looked around, suddenly feeling like she was walking through a graveyard. "Didn't hurt, did it?"

"Yes," was his sharp reply. He moved to the ground, kneeling in the dirt as he cleared more of it off the pattern on the floor. He was sure he remembered what to do, but it took time and he wasn't sure how much they had left.

"Why would a computer need to protect itself from the people who made it?" she asked, curious.

"Have you met the Time Lords?" Danni retorted. "We're running from them right now, why would a computer be any different?"

Danni didn't join Clara and the Doctor on the ground as he worked on trying to open the hatch. Her mind wasn't in it, even though she knew very well the importance of focusing on an escape. He was still panicking, and running, and the fear of what would make him that terrified tightened in her own chest. He wasn't telling her that he was afraid and that hurt, because he always told her. He always held her hand and told her he was frightened when he was. He was purposefully keeping it away from her, which was the most scared she had ever seen him. She didn't know what to do with that information because, despite knowing he needed her by just looking at him, she didn't know _why_. She didn't know what he had done. She didn't know what happened when he wasn't with her, she hadn't for a very long time.

Clara always enjoyed watching the Doctor work, but she couldn't help a little glance up at Danni. She had been so sure she'd never see her again that she didn't want to waste another moment of it by being too distracted.

The first thing she noticed was how her breathing seemed erratic. How her eyes were starting to shine, even in the darkness, and how she was looking at the Doctor like he was going to disappear. She frowned. "Danni?"

The Doctor heard the concern in her voice and looked up at his wife. He paused his movements, pushing up so he was kneeling rather than hunched over. "What is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

She gave a slight shake of her head, not as an answer but as if she was begging him not to ask the question. But she swallowed. "Before-Before I came here, back to this universe, there was this television show," she started. "That… um… It chronicled your life from when you met Barbra and Ian to, at the very least, when you met Clara. I don't- I don't know if went past that, it probably did, it was- people loved it. There was-there was books, and a movie and comics. I think there were comics, anyway, and from when I was a teenager I absolutely adored it. I watched it on repeat and I spent those five years jumping around trying-trying to make sure you were in the right place at the right time and watching people die that I knew were going to die and I just- all I could do was keep you on track."

The Doctor stared, blindsided by the information drop. He glanced around, as if he could feel a hundred pairs of eyes now all watching him at once and was only pulled from that by her sniffing as she tried to keep her emotions at bay.

"You knew everything?" he asked. "You knew about- about the Master, and the drumming, and everything? You watched it all and didn't mention anything?" She shook her head. "Why not?"

"Because I wasn't in it," she replied softly. "The Doctor I watched loved Rose and never said it. And-And married River and River loved him more than anything. _I_ was the anomaly, I am what is wrong with everything. It was why I couldn't stop Rose being Bad Wolf, or-or save Donna, or even stop the Master in the first place. I knew what came next and I'd seen enough movies to know that just by being there I would fuck everything up. All I had to go on was how I knew it happened and every breath I took, every moment that I spent with you, was another step into total chaos and I didn't know what would happen if I changed anything at all. I just knew where you had to be."

It made a lot of sense. The Doctor had considered her perhaps studying his life, especially during the times he'd been angry at her, but she had always seemed to know the bad rather than the good. The adventures where someone got hurt, where there was danger and not when he took her to somewhere nice. Where they could just explore and learn and enjoy each other's company. Back then, back when she had known him time line, she hadn't known everything. That was because she only had the episodes to go on. Because, in some universe, his life was entertainment.

It didn't feel like entertainment.

"And now, even now, hundreds of years after the fact, I still know I'm doing so much damage to your time line," she continued. "Just because I exist your life is wrong, but I fell in love with you and I was too selfish to let you go."

"Why?" he asked. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because you're right," she said. "We hide our secrets from each other because, no matter the pain we feel, we never want the other to feel it. So we hold it tight, keep it close, so only one of us has to suffer. But do you know what's worse than the pain of keeping the secret?" He shook his head. "Watching _you_ , running through a crypt of dead Time Lords just to get away from the pain of what's happened, obviously terrified of everything. A pain that you won't share with me. So, I'm sharing mine with you first." She, despite the fact she hated dirt, knelt down in front of him. "Missy and me had a lot of sex," she stated. "It was never by choice, but it wasn't always by force. She was very good at tricking me into thinking I wanted it. But, by the end, I always knew I didn't. I knew I just wanted you, but it happened away."

The Doctor felt the pain in his chest, horrified at the thought of his wife being forced into anything she didn't want to do. "And I've killed people. More that I care to think about. And I'm still very happy to let this planet burn and I don't think my conscience will take a hit from it."

He looked down at the hatch underneath them. He needed to get them free. Time was running out and he couldn't remember the key. He could work it out, he knew he could. He needed to save her. "Danni, stop," he begged.

"No," she said apologetically.

"This isn't the time for this," he insisted. "We need to get out of here…"

"There isn't a right time for this," she countered. "That's why we've bottled it up all inside. You're keeping something from me. You never answered my question."

"You're question?" he repeated.

"How did you save Clara?" she asked again just to watch his eyes widen, almost like just the question was sending him into a panic. "And why did you kill a guy? Because regeneration or not, killing a people just like that isn't like the Doctor. And don't think I haven't noticed that your coat is missing."

"Maybe-Maybe I just don't feel like being the Doctor right now," he protested. "I don't have to be the Doctor all the time."

Danni looked up at Clara, who shared her concerned look. Clara could see it just as much as Danni could, which meant it had to be really as bad as she thought it was. "I'd never make you be anyone you don't want to be," Danni replied softly.

He lowered his gaze, running his hands over the pattern yet again. It let out a confirmation noise. "I think I've almost got this."

She reached out, placing a hand over his and his every movement stop. He looked up and met her gaze and he could see not just the pain, but the kindness in them. The kindness he wasn't sure he deserved anymore. "Please, I'm asking _you_ Theta, not the Doctor," she told him. "Tell me what you did to save Clara."

He sat back on his heels, taking hold of her hand tightly. "A television show?" he asked and she nodded.

"BBC," she replied with a little smile. "Best seat in the house."

He chuckled slightly before taking a deep breath. "They trapped me in my confessional dial," he explained. "Alone and afraid. I was-I was chased by the monster who would only leave me alone unless I confessed to it. They wanted information."

"They?" Clara asked. "Who are we talking about?"

"The Time Lords," Danni quickly replied. "And that's where you had to-to keep dying to be replaced?" He nodded.

"I have to break through a wall. Twenty feet of pure diamond. Harder than diamond," he continued. "With only my…" He looked down at his hand, which still throbbed. "With only my hand. It took me billions of years. They wanted information about something I wasn't willing to give."

"The Hybrid?" Danni guessed. His gaze met hers, eyes wide.

"You know about the Hybrid?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I know it was why they locked me up," she offered. "They wanted you and they wanted information on the Hybrid."

"The Hybrid is a creature made up of two warrior races," he quickly rambled. "One that will burn Gallifrey to mend its broken hearts."

"Oh," Clara breathed, looking to Danni again. It wasn't hard to work out what that could possibly be referring to. "That's why you fought," she continued. "You didn't want to give them information on her."

Danni frowned. "On-On who?" she asked. She looked back at her husband. "Theta, on _who_?"

He looked apologetic, and a little pitying and she hated that look. "On you," he replied softly.

She scoffed slightly. "I'm-I'm not…"

"A hybrid of human and Time Lord, ready to burn Gallifrey to the ground for hurting the ones you love," he cut in as gently as he could. "Because they had killed Clara."

"Not-Not just because of Clara," she protested. "They've done some terrible things, Theta. They hurt you! They hurt everything they touch!"

"And when you saw Clara you calmed down," he pointed out. "She may not have been the only reason, but she was a big enough one that I had-I had to save her because I knew you would need her. I knew that I couldn't stop you. I was too angry, too upset. And I would do anything to make you happy."

She swallowed hard. "You- You killed yourself to protect me?" she asked. "Theta, I never- I never wanted, you know I didn't…"

"I know," he quickly insisted. "All you have ever asked of me is to save Clara."

She pressed her lips together. Why did that sound like such a bad thing? Why could she no longer look at her best friend without a feeling of dread washing over her?

"And-And saving Clara made you not the Doctor, anymore?" He nodded. "Because saving Clara meant you had to kill someone?" He nodded again. "Theta, what did you do?"

There was the sound of a door opening and, from the other side of what had looked like a wall, stepped the three people. Danni didn't recognise any of them, but from the armour she guessed the woman in the middle had been the General that had been with Rassilon. The man she had first bit.

"Oh, look, the cavalry," she muttered to herself, wiping her eyes with her free hand. "Don't even think of bothering us, now. We have bigger things happening than you and I don't really want that interrupted by you lot."

"Time Child," the General started. "Miss Oswald…"

Clara saw Danni's gaze harden as her anger spiked and she glared over her shoulder. "You heard her. Stay back!" she snapped. She turned her back to them, interested in the Doctor's answer almost as much as Danni was. She knew a little, she remembered some of what he had said, but it was all such a blur of adrenaline and emotions.

The Doctor had used the interruption to go back to go back to work. He just had a little bit of work to do, he knew it. They could steal another TARDIS and fly away. He just needed them all to leave him alone until then. He needed Danni to just leave him alone.

He paused before Danni could even grab his hand. He _never_ wanted that. How far had he fallen?

"Theta, please," she begged quietly. "What did you do?"

He glanced over at the Time Lords who were, to be fair to them, doing what the two women had asked of them. He moved a little closer to them, to his wife, who he never wanted to go away.

"I made them believe that Clara could help me with the Hybrid, that she had vital information," he whispered. "I then extracted her from between one heartbeat and her last, at the very end of her time line. I knew they were responsible for it all, for _everything_ that's happened to us. For Trap Street, the Time War, _Missy_. The least they could do was save Clara before she died."

"And?" she prompted quietly.

"And they were going to put her back," he replied. "I couldn't let them. I promised you I would- I promised I would save her. I couldn't let them break my promise."

"And so you killed them," she finished. Her voice was small and he could see how upset she was becoming.

"It's okay, it's okay," he promised. "Look, Clara's almost alive. Once we break out and get a TARDIS, I can fix that too."

She shook her head. "Why would you do that to yourself?" she replied. "Why would-would you keep fighting?! You could have made something up, anything. I never wanted you to die for me!"

"No, you wanted me to save you. You waited for me to save you," he snapped. "And I thought I could do that right. I thought I could do that without breaking time. But I couldn't, and I didn't, and I let you down. I'm not letting you down, not again!"

Danni pulled away at his sharp reply. He ignored it, moving back to the puzzle in front of him. He didn't feel like the Doctor anymore and it was all because of her. Because she'd made him promise and he'd gone out of his mind trying to keep it. _She'd_ done that. He'd torn another person from their good death because of her. Because Missy took _her_. Because she had been weak once and it had cost them lifetime after lifetime of pain.

"Listen, I'm nearly through here," he continued, the hatch making more unlocking noises. "If I'm right there should be service duct under here." He looked to her and she could see on his face he was begging her for more time.

She pressed her lips together. She could do that. She could give him a little more time. She stood up, sniffing slightly. "Clara, with me."

Clara glanced at the Doctor, who wouldn't even look up from the floor as his wife walked away. She never wanted to come between them, not really. They were her friends, her family. She just wanted them to be happy. She had never meant to become a point in their lives they could never turn back from.

She followed Danni over to where the three new people stood. She took Danni's hand, knowing that she was there for support. She couldn't bring herself to say anything else.

"You are reprehensible," Danni told them all. "Old, tired and full of hate. If it wasn't- if it wasn't for my husband and my best friend you would all be _burning_ where you stand. And I'd enjoy every minute of it. You've broken my hearts so trust me; you don't want to be in my way."

"Time Child…"

" _Do not speak to me_ ," she hissed. Even Clara was surprised by the venom in her voice. "You do not get to speak to me. Do you-Do you have _any_ idea what you have done?"

"He could have left at any time," the old woman said.

"And he could have never been in there in the first place," she replied. Tears gathered in her eyes. "You deserve to rot where you stand." She then turned to Clara, taking her other hand. "I'm so sorry, sweetie," she whispered softly.

Clara had listened to everything the pair had said and she agreed with every angry word Danni had hissed at the Time Lords. "For what?" she asked.

"For everything," she replied. "For you being caught in the middle of this mess. For-For Danny Pink." Clara's heart clenched just at the mention of his name, that familiar grief washing over her as Danni's eyes filled with tears. "For everything that came after. For you having to leave the TARDIS. For-For leaning on you too much." Clara could feel herself crying as Danni started to as well. "For loving you so much, but not the way you'd like me to."

Clara laughed awkwardly. "If I had known I was going to see you again, I probably wouldn't have told you that."

Danni chuckled along with her. "I figured," she replied before her face fell solemn again. "And for you being robbed of your good death. I never wanted to lose you, I was never going to be ready to, but I'm sorry that, because of me, that's gone wrong too. I'm so sorry, Clara."

"It's okay," Clara promised her. She pulled her close, giving her the hug she obviously needed. They both needed it. Danni didn't pull back.

"And I'm so sorry that, even though I'm actually really upset, I'm using it to distract them," she finished. Clara quickly turned to look at the Time Lords, who did look surprised at her words. "Because I knew they would be paying attention to us and not him."

She looked behind them, to the open hatch where the Doctor had obviously been and gone through. She let go of Danni, amazed she hadn't seen that coming, but then grinned. "That's genius," she praised. Danni sniffed, nodding and wiping her eyes.

"Oh, I know. I told you; I'm brilliant."

"You need to tell us what the Doctor is going to do now," the General commanded. Danni rolled her eyes while Clara scoffed.

"You really are thick, aren't you?" she retorted. They all looked rather offended and she loved it. "The Doctor is back on Gallifrey. Took him billions of years to get here. What do you think he's going to do now?"

The sound of a materialising TARDIS started to fill the air. Danni couldn't help but smile; still kept the breaks on. Oh, how she _loved_ that sound.

"Why, he's stealing a TARDIS and running away," Clara finished. Slowly, around them, the white walls of a brand-new TARDIS came into view.

"Bye!" Danni called as they both gave them a little wave.

It was very bright. Too bright, Danni thought as she looked around the interior of the new TARDIS. It was so clinical and empty and she really felt uncomfortable in it. It was the second TARDIS she had ever been in and she already missed her home.

She just wanted to go home.

"What do you think of the new wheels?" the Doctor asked them as he flew around the console, flipping switches and pressing buttons.

"I don't like it," Danni stated bluntly.

He chuckled. "I thought you might say that," he replied. "Don't worry. Once we're sorted here I'll take us home."

"And do what with this one?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I'm sure we can find a worthy home. Maybe River," he offered and Danni would have been surprised if she hadn't still been so upset. "Check your heartbeat again," he told Clara as the whole room shook. "I think you'll find you have one."

Clara grinned. "Yeah?"

"It should have restarted when we brock free of Gallifrey's time zone." Clara pulled up her sleeve, pressing her fingers against her wrist. "You're alive!" he crowed, ecstatic with himself. It had all worked. Now he could get them home and, with Danni in a safe environment, he could start over again. Not be so impulsive, not put them both in so much danger. He could make sure he never made her cry again. "Now we just have to shake off the Time Lords," he continued. "There's only one place we can do that." He spun around the console, manically piloting the time machine much like his old body used to. He turned to Clara, smirking. "What do you say to lunch, followed by breakfast?" he asked. "Because we're time travellers and that's how we roll."

Clara didn't know why he was suddenly being nice to her, maybe it was the high from a successful escape, but while she enjoyed it, it felt rather unnerving. She kept her fingers pressed against her wrist, but nothing happened. There was no pulse.

"Then cocktails with Moses. Then I'm going to invent a flying submarine," he continued. Danni watched Clara as her face fell in concern. "Why? Because no one has ever and it's annoying. And maybe we should…"

"Oh will you please stop?!" Danni shouted, her nerves shot and her hands shaking. He did pause mid-sentence and even Clara, through her own worry, looked to her. "Theta, you _have_ to stop this!"

His brows furrowed. "Stop what?" he asked, confused.

"All of this!" she exclaimed. "The-The running away from everything you've done!" She motioned to Clara. "It hasn't worked! Her pulse hasn't restarted." She walked over to her best friend, roughly brushing her hair out of the way. "The numbers are still on her neck. She's still out of her time line!"

The Doctor walked over, pulling his sunglasses out and put them on, scanning the back of her neck. Evidently, he didn't like what he saw because he chucked them onto the console, discarding them.

"The numbers are a side effect," he dismissed. "We just need to go farther, that's all. Give it a bit more welly."

Clara checked her pulse again but, as they flew away, nothing was there. "They said, your lot, that if you saved me, time would fracture. What does that mean?"

"Oh, they were just exaggerating," he replied in a voice that fooled neither woman. "They exaggerate all the time. History will be fine. Time will heal. It always does."

"You-You see," Danni started, following him around the console as he paced around it, as if he couldn't quite stay still. "That isn't something that you say when you're confident in your decisions!"

"It'll sort itself out. It'll be alright."

Danni grabbed his arm, holding onto it firmly. "Look at me," she instructed. "Look at me and tell me that like you truly believe it."

He shifted on the spot, rolling his eyes like he was exasperated. But still, he met her eye. "Everything will be okay," he told her. "We've got further forward in time. To the last hours of the universe."

"What for?"

"The Time Lords won't be able to track us there," he explained. "We'll just be there for a minute." He moved out for grasp.

"And then everything will be okay?"

She was trying to find out if he truly believed his words, but he knew she was asking him for reassurance. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the neural block he had grabbed. He ran his thumb over one of the two pads that were on the surface of it. "I just need… I need to make an adjustment," he explained. "Then everything will be as it should be."

The TARDIS landing seemed to surprise him just as much as it did them. "Check your heartbeat again," he told Clara. She did as he asked, but still felt nothing. Danni shook her head.

"This isn't going to work, is it?" she asked.

"This is going to work," he snapped. "This, this has to work!" He chucked the neural block onto the console, next to his glasses. He rubbed his hand over his face, trying to calm himself down.

"What if one last heartbeat is all I've got?" Clara asked. "What if time isn't healing? What if the universe needs me to die?"

"No!" he shouted, scaring Danni into stepping back one step. "No one else is allowed to die," he exclaimed. "No one else, not again, not ever! I won't-I can't sit back and watch someone else die."

"But I was already dead!" Clara protested. "I was gone!"

"And now you're not," he snapped.

Danni didn't like how they were ganging up on him. She loved him so much and to see him in so much pain hurt her as well. But she knew where it came from. She knew where every single thing stemmed from, because it was just the same as last time. Just the same as Ashildr. His motives were always the same; they came from his grief.

"She died, Theta!" she exclaimed.

"And I brought her back!" he shouted back. " _Me_! I'm the Doctor and I can do what I like. It's the end of the universe, I answer to no one!"

"Not Clara, me!" she corrected. " _I_ died. There was a Danni and she died and _you_ weren't there to stop it!" Her words took her own anger away and he seemed wounded by them. She sniffed, tears in her eyes again. They were starting to sting. "Bringing Clara, or Ashildr, or any other person back to life isn't going to change that! And it isn't fair," she continued. "It isn't fair that you didn't get to say goodbye and it isn't fair that I didn't, either. But we didn't. We didn't get to say goodbye and nothing is going to change that." She pointed at Clara. "All that has happened is that you've used Clara to try and make it better, but _nothing_ ever will. It will never change. Nothing will make it better."

The glanced at Clara, who looked nervous at being brought into their argument, but even more nervous as she felt for her pulse. "They should never have let Missy go," he said softly. "They should pay for what they've done."

"No, you're right, they shouldn't have," Danni agreed firmly. "But we can't keep living like this. Looking for the next person to take our anger out on. The universe doesn't owe us anything, it never will. This is the second time you've brought back someone who shouldn't be here, and I love Clara to pieces," she looked to Clara, "I love you to pieces, but it should never have happened. And now she's half-living and time is never going to fix around her."

He glanced between the two, his panic rising as his breathing quickened. His panic felt heavy on his chest, his mind felt full of thoughts and yet he felt like he was reaching out into a void if he tried to grab hold of one. All of them, all three of them, deserved so much better.

"Danni," he whispered and she saw the heaviness of what he'd done finally coming through. "I'm-I'm so…"

"I know, I know," she quickly said, walking over and hugging him close.

"I just wanted to say goodbye," he whispered. "That's all I wanted."

"Me too," she whispered.

 _Knock, knock, knock, knock._

The four knocks on the door made Danni's hands clench on his clothes, bunching them up in her hands and all of his anger flared up again. All of that fear at that noise came from Missy, not the Master, and that was all the Time Lord's fault.

Clara looked at the door. "How can there be anybody there?" she asked, clearing her throat. "I thought we were at the end of the universe?"

She headed for the door but the Doctor let go of Danni, rushing over to her. "No," he commanded. "You-You stay here. Comfort Danni, she needs that and it's something you're good for."

"Is-Is that her?" Danni asked and he nodded.

"I won't be long," he told her. "Just-Just stay inside."

He headed out the door, closing it behind him and Clara looked to Danni. "Who is it?" she asked. "Missy?"

Danni shook her head. "No," she replied. "It's Me." She moved to the console, hoping it worked the same as the one at home.

"You?"

Danni shot her a lot, confused for a moment. "No, not me. Me," she replied. "Ashildr."

"Oh!" Clara rushed to her side as the screen came on. Outside was dark, as was to be expected, and Ashildr was sat just outside the TARDIS at a small side table that had a chess board on it. She could tell they hadn't moved, though. "She's quite the show off, isn't she?"

Danni chuckled. "That she is," she agreed.

Clara watched her watch her husband. "Are you okay?"

"No, not even a little bit," Danni replied. "But I will be." She turned away from the screen and the two ancient beings having a back and forth. She cupped Clara's face. "I'm so happy to see you again," she said sincerely. "I just wish it was under better circumstances."

Clara reached up, holding her hand against her cheek. "At least it's happening," she replied. "He tried his best, you know?"

"I know," Danni replied softly. "I just wish he knew that too."

They turned back to the monitor but Clara couldn't keep her gaze off the small device the Doctor had discarded on there. "What is that?" she asked, picking it up. "He called it a neural block."

"I'm not sure," Danni replied, taking it off her. "I mean, the name suggests it is going to block something." She turned it over in her hands. "Memories, perhaps?" She turned it over again in her hands. There were two pads on either side but otherwise it looked pretty plain. "It looks like two people are supposed to hold it," she explained. "One side for the person operating, the other for the person it's being used on." She looked a little closer at the pads. "DNA readers, maybe? So it knows what it's blocking? That seems… Well, horrifically brilliant." She shook her head and chucked it back onto the console. "Very Time Lord," she muttered.

Clara, on the other hand, had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that really wouldn't go away. "He asked for a 'human compatible' one," she pointed out. "What's he blocking? What memories?"

Danni's brows furrowed for a moment. "I guess…" Her breath caught. "No, not again…"

"Not again?" Clara repeated. "What do you mean 'not again'?"

Danni shook her head, purposefully turning back to the monitor and giving it all of her attention. "It doesn't matter," she replied shortly. "I'm not going to let him do it. Don't you worry."

"Has saying that ever made anyone feel less worried?" Clara retorted.

Danni shook her head. "No, not really," she admitted. "I think it might be to wipe your memory."

"Of what?"

"Of us."

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor didn't like the Cloisters, and he certainly didn't like having to spend his time talking to Ashildr. He didn't need to listen to her talk to him like he was some child, just because he was compared to her. He'd lived billions of years too.

Well, technically while it had taken him billions of years to get back to Gallifrey, he only really lived through the same few over and over again. He was glad about that. He only remembered the one run-through, he just knew more had taken place.

"You were barely more than a child. You broke in here and the Wraiths spoke to you about the Hybrid," she was saying, in her annoying voice which just frustrated the Doctor even more. She sounded like she was trying to be his therapist. Five minutes to the end of the universe and she wanted to analyse him. "Why did that story make you so scared?"

"I don't know. I don't remember it," he dismissed quickly and tiredly. Why had he come out of the TARDIS? He should have just stayed inside. He didn't want to talk about the Hybrid. His wife? He could talk about her for the rest of time – all five minutes of it. But why did everyone _suddenly_ care about the Hybrid?

Ashildr scoffed slightly. "Sometimes you do," she said. "It's always the way with things we'd rather forget. You remember now, though, don't you? Tell me, Doctor, who is the Hybrid? Who threatens all of Time and Space?"

"Oh, but that's easy. That's very, very easy." He walked over, towering over her. "The Hybrid is _you_."

She didn't look surprised. In fact, she looked bored. It was infuriating. "I'm human, with a little bit of Mire inside me," she pointed out. "The Hybrid is supposed to be half Time Lord, half Dalek."

"No, it isn't. The actual prophecy specifies only two warrior races. The Daleks and the Time Lords have made assumptions," he rolled his eyes, "of course. And they would. Humans and the Mire, both warrior races. It fits perfectly."

She nodded along. "It's an interesting theory."

"Do you have a better one?" he counted.

"By your own reasoning, why couldn't the Hybrid be half Time Lord, half human?"

His eyes narrowed, his anger flared. "You leave her out of this," he snarled. "You will not speak about her."

She shifted, smug. "I've hit a nerve, I see," she drawled. "Tell me; if not for Danielle, why did you fight?"

"That's your best theory?" he retorted. "That Danielle's the Hybrid and I ran from Gallifrey because I was afraid of my future wife?" He let out a laugh of derision. "Let me tell you something. Danni can be angry, and she can be fierce, and she has done damage to the universe but when it came down to it, if it came down to herself or anyone else, she would sacrifice herself in a heartbeat. She wouldn't let the universe burn to heal herself."

"No, I guess not," Ashildr replied. "It doesn't quite fit, does it?"

"No," he bit back.

"That's fine." She stood up from her chair. "Because I have a better theory."

"Really?" he asked.

"What if the Hybrid wasn't one person, but two?"

He frowned. That didn't make any sense at all, did it? The prophecy only ever mentioned the one creature. "Two?"

"A dangerous combination of a passionate and powerful Time Lord and a young woman so very similar to him," Ashildr suggested. "A woman he could never see upset. A woman who he would burn the universe for."

"You think it's both of us?" he asked, scoffing slightly.

"Did you not just tear the universe apart to save Miss Oswald?" Ashildr countered. "You say it's because Clara deserved better, or that you are grieving for her yourself. But it's not, is it? It's because Danielle was upset and you can't stand not being able to fix it."

"No, that's not it," he insisted.

"Yes, it is," she replied. "You can deny it all you like, Doctor, but everything you have done is because you want to make her happy. And look what you did. And you would do it again. She doesn't need to burn the universe to heal herself because you're very happy to do it for her."

He shook his head. "I know I went too far. I get it. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing."

"And what would that be?"

She looked at him expectantly and he tried to not look at the TARDIS. He knew Danni knew how to work the controls enough for her to see outside. "I'm taking Clara back to Earth. Somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way. I'm going to wipe her memory of every last detail of us," he replied softly and sadly. "It'll be like our friendship never happened."

"That may not be what she wants," Ashildr pointed out.

"I've done it before. Usually, I do it telepathically, but this time, I've got something better. It's quite painless."

"And Danielle? Will she understand?"

"She will, when I explain," he replied. "She won't like it, but it's better than the alternative."

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara picked up the neural block as Danni shook her head. "Theta, no," she whispered, horrified. She turned to Clara. "I-I wouldn't, I would never…"

"I know," Clara replied offhandedly as she looked at the device in her hand. "He's done this to both of us." She picked up the sonic sunglasses, slipping them on with a shaking hand. "Think and point," she muttered to herself.

"Clara, don't," Danni cried as she sonicked the neural block. "You don't know what it's going to do!"

"Doesn't matter," Clara retorted as she turned the monitor off. "When he finds out what I've done to it, he won't use it." She looked at Danni. "No one is taking my memories," she swore. "Not while I have a choice!"

Danni nodded, her insides turning at just the thought. Her memories meant so much to her, the good and the bad, that just the idea made her panicky and nauseous. She looked to Clara; she never wanted to lose Clara, and now it seemed worse. At least when she had died, they'd died best friends. Maybe she was better off dead.

The doors opened as Danni felt her blood run cold at her own words. What had she become? What had they _both_ become?

The Doctor seemed to spot that almost instantly. "You okay?" he asked her, glancing at Clara to see if she had upset his wife. She shook her head as Ashildr stepped into the TARDIS after him.

"I-I still don't have a pulse," Clara answered for her whilst also making sure that he thought they hadn't heard anything he had said.

"Yeah, we'll fix that somehow. I promise," he replied before motioning to the new woman. "You remember Ashildr, of course."

"Yeah, sure," Clara replied. He frowned, looking between the two. Something wasn't right.

"I thought you'd be more surprised to see her," he said lowly.

"We used the monitor," Danni spoke up. "We heard everything, Theta."

He glanced between them again as Clara picked up his sunglasses. He had been right, she had worked out the controls. He grabbed the neural block off the console and Danni shook her head. "No, Theta, you can't! Not again!"

"I have to," he replied sadly. He turned to Clara, who took a step back and away from him. "It won't hurt, it'll be nothing. You'll just pass out for a moment."

"And then?" she challenged.

"When you wake, you'll be fine," he reassured.

"But…"

"Clara, just listen to me…"

"Just say it," she interrupted sharply. She didn't appreciate the soft words. If he was going to try and attack her memories he was going to tell her. "Say it. Come on. Tell me."

He sighed heavily. "When you wake up, you will have forgotten us," he snapped. "You'll have forgotten we ever even met."

"And why would I want that?"

"You don't, you never will," the Doctor countered. "But it's the only way to keep you safe. To keep the universe safe."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"If you don't remember us, then we can finally break away," he explained. "Because as dangerous as I am, as dangerous as _we_ are, you're just the same. You're not alive, so you're not dead. You can't die, your death is a fixed point you're going to have to return to. And you've got a lot of me still floating around in your head. Tell me, if I was hurt, if I died and couldn't return, could you stand to see her cry?" He pointed over at Danni, who was already shaking and crying. "What would you do to make sure that she didn't hurt anymore?"

Clara knew exactly what he was hinting at. "Oh no, you are _not_ putting your bad decisions on me," she snarled.

"Say it," he retorted, throwing her words back at her. "What would you do to make her smile again?"

Clara shifted on the spot. "I would find a way to bring you back," she muttered and he nodded.

"Like pulling me out of my timeline at the point of my death?" he asked. "Or, maybe, jumping into my time line completely and scattering yourself across it?"

"That's not fair," she snapped, upset. "I did that to save both of you!"

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "Clara, you did that with just your own determination. Can you imagine what having me mixed up in there will do when it gets bad? You might even push the woman you love into a volcano."

"I-I didn't mean to hurt her," she said. "You _know_ I didn't!"

"I do know," he agreed. "Because I didn't mean to either." He deflated slightly, turning the device over in his hands. "You don't deserve my irresponsibility," he told her gently. "But now you have it and I know you well; the only way to keep you safe is to wipe your memory."

Clara hated how he was making sense, and she hated how out of control she was feeling. She didn't want to forget either of them, she didn't want to lose her memories or the best part of her life. She held out the sunglasses.

"I, er I used these."

"On what?" the Doctor asked in reply, sure he knew the answer.

She nodded towards the device. "That."

"What did you do?"

"What do you think?" she countered. "You're right, you know? We're too alike."

"Tell me what you did!" he demanded.

"What else? What else do you think I did?" she challenged. "I reversed the polarity. Push that button, Doctor, it will go off in your own face."

"You were trying to trick me?" he asked and her outrage spiked. How dare he be upset?!

"What were you doing to me?" she replied.

"I'm trying to keep you safe," he explained, like he was annoyed at her. He was always annoyed at her. Clara knew he didn't like her anymore and he knew it was because he saw too much of himself in her. But she was her own person. She was Clara Oswald and he wasn't going to take that away from her.

"Why? Nobody's ever safe!" she exclaimed. "I've never asked you for that, ever. These have been the best years of my life, and they are mine. Tomorrow is promised to no one, Doctor, but I insist upon my past. I am entitled to that. It's mine."

He turned, ready to walk away, to form some sort of argument that would make her see that he was right. But instead he saw Danielle. His wife, who hated the thought of losing a single memory, who had just wanted to keep her family close. His wife, who was crying, all because of his actions.

This had to stop.

"Oh, Clara Oswald," he sighed. "What am I doing?"

He walked over to Danni. "I'm sorry," he told her, taking her face in his hand so he could tilt her head. He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Look what I've done in fear of you hurting." He turned the device in his hand. They couldn't go on like this. Whatever relationship they all had was destroying the universe, and each other. He had to break it. He had to be the one to break it.

He let her go and turned to Clara. "You're always, always right," he finished. She shot him a suspicious look, trying to work out if he was bluffing or not.

"So what happens now?" she asked. "Hey? Me and you two; what do we do now?"

"I'm not sure you managed to reverse the polarity," he replied, walking over to her. "I'm not even sure that you can. It'll do something to one of us. Better than flipping a coin."

Clara realised almost instantly what he was suggesting. "Doctor?"

"This has to stop," he replied as he held it out to her. "One of us has to stop."

She held out his glasses to him and he put them in his pocket. "You really don't know which?" she asked. He shook his head.

If he was willing to do this, willing to wipe his own memory for the safety of everyone – and, if she was honest, it was mainly his wife with the rest of the universe coming a close second – then she knew he was serious. He wasn't just trying to get rid of her. He wasn't just trying to sweep his mistake under the rug. He was truly concerned.

She took the other side of the neural block. "Well them," she declared. "Let's find out. Let's do it like we've done everything else. Together."

Danni had stood there silently, listening to them arguing because she knew when to stand back and let Clara Oswald win a fight. She was the boss, she was in charge, Clara knew what she was doing whereas she felt like an emotional mess. She didn't want to lose her best friend, she didn't want to even think of a world where Clara didn't know who she was. She didn't want to lose another person from her life.

She wouldn't be able to stay away. The only reason that they'd never gone back on Donna was because, at the time, Danni was jumping around and could see Donna at any given moment. She had eventually made her back to Jack, and River, and Martha. The Ponds were her grandparents! She was always somewhere close to the people she was scared to losing. Just because she wasn't meant to see Clara again didn't mean that she wouldn't be able to go see her at the drop of her hat.

She looked to her husband. And that was the issue, wasn't it? It wasn't the Doctor, and it wasn't Clara. It was her.

Danni rushed forward, grabbing the device at of their hands before dashing away from them, cradling it close to her chest, as if she was protecting it from them.

The Doctor took a step towards her. "Danni?" he asked, concerned. "What are you doing?"

She knew that she was staring with wide eyes because her eyes were stinging. She was shifting slightly on the spot. She couldn't stay still. "You can't do this," she told them both. "You-You can't."

Her brain was racing and screaming at the fact they couldn't see that it just wouldn't work. There was only one way that it would, and she knew exactly what it was and she was trying to think of _any_ other way.

The Doctor and Clara shared a look. Neither of them was happy with losing their memories but the effect they were having on the universe was bigger than them. The Doctor hated the idea of losing anyone from his life, especially someone he used to consider a friend. Clara knew that along with the loss of the Doctor came the loss of Danni, and that hurt so much deeper. She has already lost one person she loved, she didn't want to forget the other.

"Danielle," the Doctor started as kindly as he could. Her pain was all his fault. "This is the only way."

She shook her head frantically. "No, no," she repeated, as if he was talking about the only solution she had come up with rather than the one he was trying to push. "My-My memories are all I've ever had that was my own," she explained. "The TARDIS is my home, but she's _your_ TARDIS. My-My family isn't really mine. I call my mum and dad by their actual names because they will always be my friends first. All that has ever been mine is my memories and I-I—" Her teeth clenched and she jabbed at her temple. "I don't know which of them is real or fake, anymore," she growled, "because of some evil woman who just _couldn't leave me alone_. But they _are_ mine. They are all I own. They are mine."

The Doctor could see her panic, her heartache palpable. Clara's eyes were filled with tears at how much her friend, the woman she loved, was hurting and she couldn't do anything about it. "This has to happen," she told Danni as gently as she could. "I wish it didn't, but it does." Danni shook her head again.

"No, no, it doesn't," she insisted. "There's no point."

Clara frowned. "Why not?"

"Because it won't work!" she exclaimed, but the pair still seemed baffled. She was shaking. Her biggest fear had always been losing her memories because it made her who she was. She had almost forgotten that on a few occasions, especially when she was on the run from Missy, but her experiences shaped her and she didn't want to have it any other way.

The Doctor's brows furrowed slightly. "Why not?" he asked curiously. She obviously had thought of something he hadn't, which wasn't unusual. Her frustration was coming out in her protest. He wasn't sure it would work, but she obviously needed to let them know even if she couldn't put it into words.

"Because you don't like her anymore," Danni replied bluntly. "You could turn and walk away right now and very easily never go back again." She looked over at Clara. "You were friends, once, but now you're not. If it-If it was just the Doctor you wouldn't have wanted to leave, but you could have. You have found a life without him on Earth and it's done nothing but good for you." Her gaze jolted between the two. "This, _all_ of this, has nothing to do with either of you. It's me."

"Danielle, you're panicking," the Doctor said, holding his hand out. "I understand, I do. But you have done nothing wrong."

"There is a Clara who is walking around that shouldn't be _because_ of me," she insisted. "I never want Clara to die, the thought breaks me, but the reason she is here and not dead is because you can't leave me to hurt again. And, given the chance, I would keep her by my side forever." Her voice broke. She met Clara's gaze. "I love you so much. I might not be in love with you, but I love you more than practically everyone else. I was ready to torture an immortal woman to the end of time for hurting you. I still am. The Doctor didn't save you for himself. He did it for me." She swallowed hard. "All of this is because of me."

She looked down at her hands. At the device she held, ready and poised to wipe the one person from another just by a touch of a button. One where she had, very deliberately, not touched where Clara had held onto it. "If the Doctor lost his memories, I'd never be able to stay away," she said softly. "If you lost your memories, I'd never be able to leave you alone. This has to end with me."

The Doctor took sharp intake of breath as he realised what she was doing. "Danni, don't!" he exclaimed as Danni pressed the button on the device. He rushed over, yanking it out of her hand as if it would make any difference. Nothing seemed to happen, but Clara felt it like a punch to the gut. "What did you do?!" he shouted.

With shining eyes and a sense of numbness, Danni looked up at him. "You would have let the universe burn before doing to me what you had to do to Donna," she said softly. "Even though you know it wouldn't have worked any other way."

He shook his head. "Your memories…"

"Are not more important that the people I love," she finished. "I would never force you to make that choice. I would never let you bear it."

Her eyelids fluttered as her gaze went out of focus. She looked over at Clara, who seemed really blurry. "I would never make you bear it," she said to them both before her knees gave way. Clara rushed to her side, openly crying.

"No, no, don't," she begged. "Danni, please don't forget me."

Both the Doctor and Clara held her, keeping her propped up as her mind filled with fog. "You're brilliant," she told Clara before she couldn't anymore. "You are brilliant, Clara Oswald. Run." She giggled faintly as one of her first memories of Clara floated through her brain. Her Clara. Victorian Clara. Where it all began. "Run, find your Danni-Girl, and remember me."

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni didn't remember moving to her bedroom. In fact, as she slowly sat up in bed, she realised she didn't remember a lot at all. Or, rather, she remembered everything and yet it felt foggy. Like the memories were piecing themselves together. Had she been drinking? It felt like she had been drinking.

The bed dipped and her head shot around to look see the Doctor. He wasn't wearing his jacket and he shirt was ruffled, like he'd been sleeping in his clothes and he'd not bothered to get changed when he'd woken up again. She glanced at his hair. She did like it messy. His expression was soft, and comforting as he stroked his hand through her hair, smoothing it out.

"Hey," he said softly, with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

She wasn't sure if she liked how kind he was being. She can't have been drinking, she only drank Coke these days. She didn't get drunk anymore. "Groggy," she replied. "When did I come to bed?"

"You didn't. I brought you here," he explained. A flash of panic ran across her face. "You've not been out long. Twelve hours, maybe. Nothing at all."

"'Out'?" she repeated. "What happened?"

He shifted, moving to his was sat on the bed next to her, long legs stretched out to the end. He motioned her over and, even though she was still slightly confused, she moved so she was resting against him. He wrapped his arm around her.

"Let me tell you a story," he started. She shot him an incredulous look.

"Theta…"

"Shh, just listen," he replied. "Once upon a time there was a girl with fiery red hair and a temper to match. She travelled far and wide, fighting people, finding love and building a family she was proud of. Then, one day, she died. And her world expanded. Her universe became infinite, and she became the first of her kind. The Time Child."

She smiled slightly. "The one and only," she agreed a little smugly. He gave her a squeeze.

"She spent a lot of those first moments being scared. Scared of her love, scared of the evil of the universe. She didn't know what to do until she met a nanny."

Danni frowned. "A nanny?" she repeated. "When did I meet a nanny?"

"A nanny that brought her out of her shell, showed her great lost but also great strength. The Time Child moved on with her life, and found a best friend. A girl who would sacrifice her life for others, a girl who was stubborn, and kind, and fiercely loyal."

Danni really couldn't remember who he was talking about, but it was making her head hurt. She tried to find the nanny in her memory, she tried to find the friend but all she found was a blur of missing moments. "Theta, what happened?" she asked again.

"The Time Child loved her dearly, perhaps too much. The other woman certainly loved her too much in return. They were happy friends until the greatest of evils pulled them apart."

"Missy," Danni muttered but the Doctor shook his head.

"Her husband," he corrected. Danni pushed up, twisting on the spot.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "What did you do?"

"The Time Child…"

"No," she cut in. "No more stories. Tell me what happened? What happened to the nanny?"

He had hoped to tell her in story to stop the panic that was starting to take over her. He had wanted to break it to her in the softest way possible, and fairy tales were always kind.

"We had a friend called Clara, who died," he explained. "And I brought her back to life, but at a terrible cost. I pulled her out of her time line at the moment of her death, between one heartbeat and her last, and in doing so started a prophecy that needed to end. And you, my Pet," he took her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a kiss on her palm. "You paid the price for my mistake. I was going to wipe her memory to keep her safe. But you-you were cleverer, and braver, than both of us. You saw what I refused to believe, and you knew that the only way that we could be stopped wasn't if she couldn't remember us, but if you didn't remember her."

Danni shook her head. "I wiped my own memories?" she whimpered. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you loved her very much," he replied almost instantly. "And you loved me too much to make me do it myself. You knew," he looked down at his lap, "quite rightly, that the best way was for you to forget her. She was in your life, on and off, for pretty much its entirety. She was your best friend and you did it to save us all."

Her hand was shaking as she ran it over her mouth. The lump in her throat was building as the devastation washed over her. She tried to think back again, over her life, trying to pull up moments she could remember, like the time they went on the Orient Express. There was a mummy, and Perkins, and… and someone else, wasn't there?

"There's a hole in my life," she whispered. She looked to the Doctor. "What did you say her name was? Clara?"

He nodded. "Clara Oswald. Your memories are reforming. You'll know she's there, but she just won't mean anything anymore."

"I-I wiped away my best friend," she whimpered. "Just like that?"

"No, no, definitely not," he reassured her, pulling her close. "It wasn't just like that. It was hard, but you were so strong, my Pet. You did what you thought was best and it hurt, but I couldn't be prouder of you." He placed a kiss on her hair. "You did it so no one else had to suffer."

He held her close as she cried, terrified of her own choice and what it meant. He comforted her the best he could, but he knew that it was partly down to him. He'd made some terrible choices and she had suffered the consequences. But no more. Never again. He could make it up to her, and the universe. He had been so obsessed with not letting her down again he hadn't seen the catastrophe he had been heading for. He would do better this time. He would be the husband she deserved. He could show her the goodness of the universe and help her heal. He could be the Doctor.

"Where is she now?" she asked. "Did-Did it work?"

He could tell the difference. The way she didn't seem overly concerned, just curious. It broke his hearts that she'd lost that love in hers. "Yes, it did," he promised. "She's just fine, and you will be too."

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Bumper-sized chapter for y'all. Please let me know what you think, reviews mean a lot to me :D_

 _Reviews -_

 _ **Blue-tail the Cyber Hybrid** \- There is a couple Thirteen drabbles in the Outtakes story if you're interesting, and I do occasionally muse about it on my Tumblr, which is DanniFielding :)_

 _ **Midnight** **Alley** \- Yeah, she doesn't do well, does she?_

 _ **serenitysaiyan** \- I thought so. When I first saw the episodes and started hearing the mentions, there was only one way I could see it going._

 _ **Oh yeah** \- Thanks sweetie! :D_

 _ **bored411** \- Thanks, sweetie! It's all a bit of a crazy mess, but I like to think it works XD_

 _ **BlueFlames27** \- Aww, thanks sweetie! I just couldn't help but see Danni's first reaction to Rassilon being one that was violent. It doesn't come out often, but it comes out to those who deserve it! _

_**Authora97** \- I guess you liked it? Danni always loved Clara almost as much as she loves the Doctor, it felt fitting XD_


	48. Goodbye

Clara smoothed down her skirt yet again, checking the clock on the wall. She was sure they were supposed to be there ten minutes ago. The Doctor promised that he'd be on time. Perhaps she shouldn't put so much faith in his piloting skills.

The diner was pretty. She wasn't sure why it was in the middle of a desert, but then again she had just been told where to stay until they were ready to drop by for a visit. He'd told her to make it look like one down the road, randomly placed in the Nevada desert. She wasn't sure why. It was supposed to blend in with the surroundings. _She_ was supposed to blend in with the surroundings.

Still, because TARDIS's were designed to be ignored by the world around them, no one came in to take a look. She kind of wished they had. Maybe having to keep up the pretence of running a diner would have helped her calm the nervous energy that made her unable to stand still behind the counter.

Any minute now.

 _Any minute now_.

She was surprised by the small jingle of the bell that indicated that the door had opened and there she was. Danielle Fielding, her brow slightly furrowed as she stepped into the diner, followed by the Doctor. She was wearing that leather skirt that made Clara go slightly weak at the knees. The Doctor's hair was longer, his look more relaxed with a nice black jacket with a hoody underneath. It looked like it had been a while since she'd seen them last, for them anyway. She wondered how long.

Danni paused, looking around with a hint of distrust on her face. The diner was nice enough. It looked like any other American-style diner from the 20th century, possibly later if it was trying to be nostalgic. Everything was chrome, with a jukebox lit up in bright colours playing a song by the Killers.

She tried not to smile at the sound. She loved the Killers, but it just made her feel a little bit more uneasy. Everything seemed to these days.

There was a waitress behind the counter but no one else in there. That also made her feel like perhaps they should leave. There was something eerie about being in an empty diner in the middle of nowhere.

"What's this place again?" she asked the Doctor.

"This is where we met up with the Ponds," he reminded her gently. He steered her towards the counter, where high stools suggested that was where they could sit. "Before we went back to meet Canton Everett the Third."

"So, Nevada, right?" she asked and he nodded. He sat down first, shooting her a bit of a look so she joined him. His feet reached the foot rest. Hers didn't quite make it.

He could see her eyeing everything suspiciously, like someone was going to jump out and attack her. If it wasn't Missy, then it was probably something else from her memories that had become jumbled up inside her head. She was still recovering from losing so much and so he'd thought taking her on a tour of her history would help her memories form around the hole she'd created in them. And it was a good way of slotting in Clara without her noticing.

Clara shot them both a smile, pushing her unsteady heartbeat and the lump in her throat down and away from the world. "Hi," she greeted. "What can I get you?"

"Um," the Doctor started, trying not to seem like he knew Clara at all. Instead he watched Danni barely pay attention to her. "Two milkshakes. Your biggest ones."

Clara tried not to roll her eyes, and instead of fetching them both their drinks she leant against the counter, propping her head on her hand. "You're far from home," she commented.

"We're never too far from home," he replied cryptically. Danni finally turned her attention from the shadows around her and met Clara's gaze and Clara's heart broke more than she thought possible. There was no recognition, no fondness. Just the look of someone who didn't trust the world around her, and that world now included Clara.

"We could say the same for you," Danni stated. "English, right? You're very far from home."

"Nah," Clara dismissed. "Home isn't a place, it's the people." She turned her back to them, hiding her shaking hands. "Two milkshakes coming right up."

 _~0~0~0~_

Losing her mother had been the hardest thing Clara had ever been through until she'd lost Danny Pink. Each death was a tear on her soul that, no matter how long she may or may not have lived, would never heal. Both had been too soon, and both had been beyond her control. She'd not been able to save either of them.

But watching Danni's legs give way from underneath her was something else entirely. Her dazed look, the way her hand let go of the neural block, just highlighted what she had done. The Doctor barely made it over to her in time to catch her before she hit the cold floor of the unfamiliar TARDIS. She was already fading. Her fate was sealed. It felt like an eternity before Clara could move over to her, but in fact it was a fraction of a second before she was at Danni's side, hands on her arm, shaking as tears streamed down her face.

"No, no, don't," she begged her best friend. "Danni, please don't forget me."

Danni tried to focus on her, but Clara could see her eyes darting around, obviously losing consciousness. "You're brilliant," she told Clara and Clara sobbed loudly. She always said that, Clara loved hearing it, but she never thought there would be a last time. "You are brilliant, Clara Oswald." She giggled. A drunken giggle as she lost herself in her memories. The memories slowly fading away and taking Clara with them. "Run," she said with the slur of someone falling asleep. "Run, find your Danni-Girl, and remember me."

And like that, she was gone. Danni, unconscious, her mind unravelling their every moment together. Clara didn't know whether to scream or throw up, so settled with sobbing. The Doctor held his wife close, eyes also wide and full of tears, as Clara reached up slowly and stroked her brown hair. He didn't stop her. He didn't say a word.

Her mum had died. Danny had died. Danni did not die. But it felt worse than that. If they had been anywhere, if her mother and Danny Pink happened to be anywhere, at least they had their moments together. They could think back on her fondly – or not, she actually didn't really care – and remember that they had shared their lives together for a short while. Danni, the woman she loved, was going to be happily travelling around the universe and have no idea that she'd even existed. That love, that friendship, all gone in a flash. A whole lifetime erased.

"No," she whimpered quietly, a faint plea that no one could answer. This couldn't be how it ended. She couldn't just lose her like this. There had never been a scenario where she would live past either of them. She was never going to have to live past Danni.

She looked up at the Doctor, eyes wide and pleading. "We have to reverse it," she stated. "There-There has to be a way. We-We can undo this, right?"

The Doctor felt faint, like he was a thousand miles away from what was currently happening. He looked down at Danni, who looked like she was asleep in his arms. There had been times in his history where she had never slept, and times where he'd taken it upon himself to carry her back to their bedroom so she didn't get stiff from sleeping on couching. She'd slept outside Vincent van Gogh's house, in his yard. He wished, more than anything, she was sleeping now.

This was all his fault. She'd taken the one thing that meant the most to her and shattered it beyond recognition and it was all his fault. His mistake, his selfish act, had cost her more than she should have ever paid.

He shook his head. "No," was his soft reply.

Clara didn't believe him. "There _has_ to be a way," she insisted, her voice rising out of panic and pain. She grabbed the neural block and waved it at him. "T-The Time Lords would _never_ have something like this without a way of reversing it," she continued. "We can fix it. We-We just have to reverse it."

His gaze met hers. "No," he repeated. "We're not reversing it."

Clara blinked, startled slightly for a moment. "What-What do you mean?" she asked. "Why not?" He didn't reply, he just looked back down at his wife. Her anger spiked. " _Why not?"_

"Because look at her!" he shouted in reply. "Look what's she's done because of us! I'm not taking that away! I'm not letting _you_ take that away!"

 _~0~0~0~_

The Killers trailed off and into something old and pop, something that fit the settings of the diner a lot better. Danni didn't particularly like it, then again she wasn't into music anymore.

Maybe she had been. Maybe she really liked music and she'd forgotten all that too. Maybe her love of music was tied up in late night singing sessions with a best friend she couldn't remember anymore.

The waitress placed large glass of vanilla milkshake in front of them both. She seemed friendly enough, but that felt uncomfortable. She didn't like friendly. She didn't want people being nice to her because she could suddenly be in the situation where she'd need to wipe that from her memory as well. She didn't want to put the effort in. She didn't need anyone else in her life. What she had now was more than enough.

"Thanks," she said politely anyway, because friendships or not, the universe was better when manners were involved.

"No problem," the waitress replied. With no one else in the diner, she took interest in the odd couple. "On a road trip?"

Danni shrugged. "Something like that," she offered vaguely before taking a small sip of her drink, effectively ending the conversation. This had all been the Doctor's idea. She didn't mind travelling – it was one of her favourite things to do, if she didn't include her husband – but he had insisted on a trip down memory lane to help her mind settle down after such invasive surgery. She had just wanted to see some new sights. But he knew best. He was the more seasoned Time Lord.

" _Don't stop- don't stop- don't stop—_ "

The jukebox stuttered as if it was stuck on a scratch in a record and all three of them looked over at it in tandem. It looked too new to have actual vinyl records in it. Didn't people use digital music at this point in time? When she was young her phone had played music. Was this universe just further behind than that?

Clara stared at the jukebox, confused. As far as she could tell, this particular TARDIS was much more reliable than the one the Doctor and Danni travelled in, the jukebox playing up didn't make any sense at all. And she was slightly horrified, for reasons she wasn't quite sure of. She didn't want Danni to think she couldn't run a diner, which was the strangest thought she'd ever had. She wanted Danni's last – and at this point only – memory of her to be perfect and the jukebox was ruining that.

The Doctor pocketed his sonic sunglasses before anyone noticed that he'd got them out in the first place. "I'll take a look," he declared, sliding off the stool. "I'm a bit of a tinkerer."

"Yeah, if you want it to fall apart," Danni muttered cheekily. He shot her a look.

"I heard that."

"You were supposed to, sweetie," Danni called after him as he walked over to the jukebox, leaving Clara and Danni alone. Danni, who didn't look up from her milkshake but didn't drink anymore of it. Clara was suddenly incredibly nervous, but didn't let it show. Instead, she watched as Danni didn't smile or engage with the world around her.

"Is everything alright?" she asked before she could stop herself. Danni looked up, scanning her face with a suspicious look for a moment before she shrugged. "You don't look like you're a willing participant in this road trip."

Again, Danni shrugged. "Don't mind travelling," she offered. "Just wish I had a say in where we were going."

"And a diner in the middle of a desert wasn't exactly your idea of a good day out?" Clara asked with a little smile on her face. Danni finally raised her eyes to meet hers. She seemed nice. She wasn't being defensive, in fact she seemed to understand the strangeness of the little outing, which was good.

"I-I lost a friend," Danni said before she realised that she was talking. "My husband thinks that a trip around my life might help me."

"I'm sorry," the waitress said sincerely, and Danni really believed her for a moment. "You must have been rather close."

"Apparently," Danni muttered to herself, unable and unwilling to go into the specifics of the nanny she knew was there but just couldn't remember or care about.

The waitress watched her stir the straw in her milkshake. "Was he right?" she asked. "Is it working?"

Danni looked back down at her milkshake. Was is it working? Going over her old haunts, as it were, was definitely something that she used to love to do, but now it all seemed incredibly fleeting. She knew the Doctor was worried about her. He'd expected a bigger reaction, a bigger breakdown, but she couldn't find it within herself to do so. It felt all so far away. She was finding it really hard to find a point to anything. She'd always been so worried about her fading memories, but how many had she already lost? How much more could she lose? Clara was taken away with just a push of a button, and she didn't really remember making that choice either. Going down memory lane felt like a pointless exercise. Those times were gone, what was the point in reliving them?

"Well, I don't like milkshakes," Danni offered in reply. "I guess that sums it up."

Clara felt awful. More than awful. She just wanted to grab Danni's shoulders and shake her until she remembered. She wanted to scream that _she_ was Clara, _she_ was the friend that had been lost and she was stood right in front of her. She wanted to beg for forgiveness, shout at her stupidity and everything else in between. Instead she just shot her a little smirk.

"I have just the thing," she stated, grabbing the milkshake and taking it over to the sink. She then made a little bit of a show as she opened the fridge underneath the counter. After all, she had to pretend she was making stuff and didn't have a TARDIS that could conjure anything she could ever want on a whim.

She placed the new glass in front of Danni, who looked at it, slightly surprised. "Coke Float," she declared, like it was a new invention. She even topped it off with a bendy straw. "Coca Cola and vanilla ice cream."

Danni smiled slightly and pulled it towards her. "It's been a long time since I've had one of these," she commented quietly. She took a sip and it was absolutely delicious.

 _~0~0~0~_

Danni felt dead in his arms. He knew she wasn't, he knew that her chest was rising and falling to indicate her breathing, and he knew that while her memories had been tampered with, it was perfectly safe and he wouldn't have even considered it with Clara if it hadn't been. But her unconscious body in his arms felt like a dead weight and he couldn't let her go. He _wouldn't_ let her go.

This was all his fault. His own failing at being able to handle his own grief had led to her taking it into her own hands to end it once and for all. She had been right – she was always right. His every action had come from the grief at not being able to save her, all the way down to never having said goodbye to her second body. He'd missed the third completely. And now he'd caused more damage to the fourth. On his own Clara would have stayed dead. He would have grieved and he would have moved on. She was alive because he couldn't let another person down like he had Danielle.

He was broken more than he'd realised. And it hit him in the gut and weighed heavy in his arms.

She'd taken the most extreme step to finally get him to see. Her memories were her life. She'd given them up to stop him.

"Not letting _me_ take that away?" Clara exclaimed, outraged. "You can't blame this on me! I never wanted _any_ of this!" She pointed at him accusingly. "I never asked you to bring me back!"

She was right, of course. Clara had gone to her death knowing it was her death. She'd gone willingly, and brave, and in his foolishness, he'd taken that away from her as well. He knew, at some point, the guilt from that would come back. Now all he could feel was Danni's weight. He looked back down at her face. She looked peaceful. He wished she looked like she was asleep.

"Why?" Clara begged. " _Why_ won't you fix this?"

He gently laid Danni back down the ground. "Because this _is_ how it's fixed," he told her. He stood up and all of his pain couldn't be contained anymore. "Because she's right! This is the only way!"

Clara shook her head. "No," she stated. "There is _always_ another way! You always find another way!"

He shrugged. "And this time I haven't," he replied cruelly. "The only way to keep the universe safe is for one of us to leave. We could walk away from each other, but she couldn't."

"That's not fair!" Clara exclaimed, visibly upset. "When-when you forgot her I fixed it! _Me_! If this was the other way around I'd be finding every way to bring her memories of you back! Why won't you help me?"

"Because there's only room for one Doctor in the universe, Clara," he replied simply. "That's always been the issue. You are _not_ the Doctor. You are Clara Oswald. You are _not_ her wife, you are _not_ the woman she loves and you are _not_ me!"

He couldn't look at the hurt look on her face, but looking down at Danni didn't help either. He just turned his back, walking away from the console. "She did this so I didn't have to," he stated, his voice softer than it had been. "I'm not taking that away from her. She'd never ask me to, either." Ha paused. "I'm the Doctor. I'm not supposed to hurt people, I'm supposed to _help_ them," he said. "I've been doing a bad job of that lately, but I'm going to get better. I'm going to help the universe by helping her."

~0~0~0~

"Can I ask you a question?" the waitress said as Danni continued to drink her float.

"I get the feeling you're going to," Danni retorted, trying not to sound annoyed. She wasn't, really, but usually people only asked that when they were going to ask something you didn't want to hear.

"This friend you lost," she started. "Was it sad?"

Danni paused for a moment, about to take a sip of her drink. That was a strange question. Of course it was sad, she'd _lost_ someone. How was that not sad? But the waitress was watching her curiously, like she was expecting a story behind it.

"I guess so," was Danni's honest reply. "I don't really remember it. But losing anyone is sad, even if you can't remember why."

The waitress nodded. "I guess you're right," she agreed thoughtfully. "Was it long ago?"

"A while ago, yeah," Danni confirmed. "My husband has been trying very hard for a long time to make me better."

"And he's still buying you milkshakes?" the woman asked, a little amused. "Perhaps he's focusing too much on making you into what he thinks is better, rather than what is actually better for you."

"He's not trying to make me into anything different to what I am," Danni retorted, a little defensive. "If there's anyone in this universe who could make me feel better then it's him."

The first chords strumming echoed in the silence between the two and they both looked over at where the jukebox was sat. Instead of the music playing, the Doctor had his guitar and was sat on one of the tables. His jacket had been chucked on the long, red seat the accompanied the table. He didn't seem to be paying much attention to either of them.

Danni instantly recognised the song and, with it, her spirits raised just slightly.

 _Blind men say; 'only fools rush in'…_

The waitress didn't look annoyed that someone had just started playing their guitar in her diner. Instead, she watched him fondly. "Thinks a lot of himself, doesn't he?" she commented and Danni nodded to herself.

"It seems that way, doesn't it?" she replied, not quite agreeing. "He's doing this because he thinks it'll cheer me up."

"Will it?" the waitress asked and Danni smiled to herself before she shot her a smug look.

"Not turning _this_ away, am I?"

 _~0~0~0~_

Clara didn't know what to do. The Doctor wouldn't look at her, probably out of his own guilt and Ashildr had just stood there, watching the pair silently with the grandeur of someone who had lived long enough to hold herself like she was both above it all and yet in awe of everything. The idea of Danni forgetting her completely felt like a blow she couldn't survive and yet, with a little cynical laugh to herself, she knew she couldn't die. She was in the middle of dying. Perpetually stuck between one heart beat and her last until she returned to finish the job.

She must have been pretty indestructible, actually. Immortal in the same with that Danni had said that Jack was.

"What-What now?" she asked, her voice breaking. So many questions were held in those two little words. _What do we do now? What do I do now?_

The Doctor finally turned to look at her. "I'm going to take Danni back home," he explained. "I'm going to help her heal, just like you told me to, and we're going to travel the universe like we always should have been. And you…" He waved a hand at the console. "Well, someone has to return this," he continued. "And you will have to go back eventually. Your death still needs to happen."

Clara felt like he was sending her off to die. She knew that was stupid, and that she had walked out to her death without looking back, but it still felt like he was turning her over to some universal police to make sure she was exactly where she needed to be when she needed to be. As much as she had protested at that choice being take away from her, she also didn't want him not to care.

"We were friends, once," she pleaded one last time. "Please, Doctor, don't let this happen. I don't want to lose her."

The Doctor tensed, like his words made a dent and she had the hope, for a moment, he might actually help her. "I'll let you say goodbye," he replied, almost apologetic and she felt herself crying. "That's the best I can do."

 _~0~0~0~_

And that was how Clara ended up saying goodbye to her best friend, the woman she loved, and the man who she had once considered her friend. Danni wasn't paying attention to her at all, but she couldn't take her eyes off her. She was smiling softly, truly happy watching her husband play the guitar. The sun was slowly starting to set, the golden light illuminating him and it felt like the most bittersweet ending to anything ever. No more words were shared between the two, but Clara felt herself slip out of Danni's life for good. Their story had ended.

The one thing, _one thing_ , that stopped Clara breaking down was the fact that she was so happy that they would be getting in the TARDIS together and flying away. All she ever wanted was Danni happy. And she knew that nothing would make her happier than seeing the universe with the Doctor.

He finished the song off and Danni slid off the stool, strolling over to him. She didn't sit down on the table next to him, but still offered him a smile. "Time to go?" she asked.

"Whatever you like, my Pet," he offered, genuinely meaning it. She nodded.

"Let's go somewhere new this time," she suggested as he twisted his guitar around on its strap so it was sat on his back. "Somewhere neither of us have been."

She took his hand, slipping her fingers between his and he felt ready to burst. She was starting to feel more and more like herself, he could tell. "I've been around here quite a few years more than you," he reminded and she rolled her eyes.

"Way to pull the old man card," she retorted.

"Are you sure you don't want me to give you a tour of the best?"

She paused as they reached the door. The waitress was right; looking back wasn't going to help her. She wasn't going to feel better about what happened, with Clara or with Missy, or anything else. She had to find happiness in front of her. The Doctor was in front of her.

"I don't want to see the best," she said to him and he looked rather amused at her words. "I want to see the new and the exciting. What's the point in seeing the best? You've got nothing to aspire to."

He let out a little chuckle. "Well, I can't argue with that," he agreed, leading her out of the diner and they headed towards the TARDIS together. That was until he paused, anyway. "My jacket…" She sighed, like a mother of a forgetful child, and she held her hand out of his guitar. He handed it over and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Won't be a moment."

"Oh, don't forget to pay for the drinks," Danni called over her shoulder as she entered the TARDIS. "I don't think either of us did."

The door shut behind her and she walked over to the console, leaning his guitar against it. The waitress was nice, but she didn't even ask her name. She used to ask everyone their names. She was finding it harder to care. Had forgetting Clara really made her forget how to make new relationships?

She had no idea how deep losing her memory had affected her, and she was scared that she'd broken something inside of her. Scared, but not convinced.

With every old place the Doctor took her to came this nervous hope that Clara would be there. That she would suddenly be accosted by some strange woman begging that she remembered who she was. She expected Clara around every corner, expected to recognise her. Donna would sometimes be sad but not remember why, she expected to recognise Clara even if she didn't know why.

She sighed. The waitress has been nice, but she didn't even ask her name. She didn't recognise her without knowing why. She had absolutely no idea who she was. She can't have been Clara.

She stroked her hand over the console. "Maybe next time, Old Girl," she said to the TARDIS. "We'll see."

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor stepped back into the diner where Clara was still stood, as if she hadn't moved since Danni had walked out. He picked up his jacket and carefully placed it over his arm.

"Thank you," she said to him, clearing her throat. "I-It- This was nice."

"That's a fantastic lie you're telling yourself there, Miss Oswald," the Doctor replied, but his normal bite wasn't in his tone.

"What do I do now?" she asked. The Doctor considered her a moment. There was a moment in time waiting for her to return. She needed to head back there, fix her timeline, and die with the bravery and dignity he'd taken away from her.

He took in the diner. His TARDIS probably could make something much more impressive, but then again why would she do that? Her blue box exterior was beyond perfect.

"Clara, you're too much like me for your own good," he told her. "I'm not sure if that was because you jumped into my time line, or because it had always been there." Her brows furrowed slightly. He shrugged. "So, do what I did," he clarified, like she was an idiot. "You've got a stolen TARDIS, haven't you?"

He headed to the door and she grinned to herself, eyes filling with tears. "Doctor?" she called after him and he paused but didn't look back. "Goodbye."

He smiled sadly to himself. "Goodbye, Clara."

And he disappeared with a quiet ring of a bell. Clara watched him go, half wondering if he was ever going to turn back up in her life again, but knowing that she probably was never going to be seeing them again. After all, the universe was huge and he was an expert at running away.

She headed to the back of the diner, where the console room of the new TARDIS waited for her, and Ashildr sat, looking more intrigued than bored.

"How was it?" she asked, curious.

"Sad," Clara replied. "And beautiful." She began flicking some switches, wondering if she was doing it right, but realising she probably could just make it up as she went.

"And now you're heading back?" Ashildr prompted and Clara wrinkled her nose.

"Where's the fun in that?" she retorted. "No, I've got a promise to live up to." She looked over at Ashildr. "Danni told me to run," she clarified, "and find my Danni-Girl. I can't leave that open ended, can I?" She smirked. "Fancy a trip out?"

Ashildr shared her happy grin as she flicked the switch and they flew away.

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Not a monster of a chapter like the last one, but I still think it's pretty sweet. I couldn't let Clara go without one last little look back at her. I hope you all enjoyed it!_

 _Reviews were all lovely about the last chapter, thank you all! :) x_


	49. The Husbands

It was surprisingly hard, not feeling much at all. Hard and tiring, and Danni really didn't understand how that could be a thing.

She sat in her armchair in the console room with a book in one hand that she wasn't reading. The Doctor had parked the TARDIS on a random planet and had suggested they go out for an adventure. Danni hadn't felt up to it. She hadn't felt like turning him down, either, though so the plan was to go out and have a walk around. The Doctor called it 'baby steps'. She called it exhausting.

Sometimes she just really wished that she would get upset. Since the Doctor broke the news to her that she had wiped her own memories she hadn't cried, or gotten angry, or sad. She'd just sort of… existed in some weird space where everything felt like an effort that she couldn't find to put into it.

And the Doctor was trying. She couldn't fault him for that. He was thoughtful and attentive, and he gave her space when he felt she needed it. That's what he was doing now; he'd left her to read for a while on her own. She appreciated it. She thought she did, anyway.

She couldn't find the want to miss Clara, which seemed awful to some extent. She was remembering more and more the times when this mysterious woman would have been there. Clara had a place in her memories but not in the life around it. She was just there, in the background, doing things to help Danni and her husband but there was no face, no emotion. It was almost like reading a badly written book. The character didn't matter. So, really, what was the point in trying to be emotionally invested? Nothing really mattered.

She glanced down at the book she'd picked up; _A Midsummer Night's Tale_. She loved Shakespeare still, she was sure that wasn't something that she was ever going to out-regenerate. She couldn't focus on the words. She couldn't find it in her at all to care about the prose, or the storyline, or the fact that it was a book at all. Everything just felt so… _meh_.

It was a stupid word, but she couldn't describe it any other way. Everything was _meh_.

Even the knock on the TARDIS door didn't quite stir her excitement. Usually someone knocking on the door whilst on an alien planet meant that something exciting, or dangerous, or fun was about to happen. Now she just had to get up off her chair and go check it out, which was a lot of effort and not something she wanted to do out of any other motivation than obligation. It was rude to leave someone at the door.

She opened the door onto the winter wonderland that the Doctor had taken them to and barely noticed the red brick, quaint houses that lined the street they were parked in. She acknowledged the Christmas lights somewhere in her mind, but all she could really think about was how cold the snow was. And that there was currently a short, round, bald man in a bobble hat too small for him stood in front of her looking incredibly nervous with a piece of paper in his hand.

A short, round, bald man in a bobbly hat too small for him, who was very much stopping her from sitting on her own in silence thinking about nothing at all.

"Wrong house," she told him. "Go somewhere else."

She was going to shut the door on him but he shook his head, still nervous. "Are-Are you Mrs Fielding?" he asked. Immediately she took him a little more seriously. Her younger experience usually led to her being called a 'Miss', disregarding her as too inexperienced to be married to the Doctor. She liked it when it was acknowledged.

"Why?" she asked. "Is it important?"

He nodded, still holding the paper in his hand. "Very," he replied, suddenly looking all business. "She wants you to come with me."

"She?" Danni repeated before shaking her head. She wasn't playing the pronoun game. "Nope, don't do house calls. That's never something I've done. Try next door."

He stopped her from closing the door on his face. "Please," he insisted. "It's a medical emergency."

"Then I suggest you find a doctor," she retorted. "I have one, it's amazing. I really would try it."

"Please, Doctor Song insists that it's you who she needs!"

Danni perked up slightly. "Doctor Song?" she repeated. "As in _River_ Song?"

He bristled slightly. "I really must insist that you call her Doctor Song," he told her. "She says you can help."

That was probably true. She glanced back into the TARDIS console room and was surprised to suddenly, and deeply, just need to see her mother. She'd never really felt like that about River. She'd been a woman she'd hated, then a good friend, and then part of her family. But she had never, not even when she had run to her when she was upset, needed her like she'd needed her mother.

She scoffed at herself. She was just feeling a bit down, there was no need to get too sentimental. Her mother was probably long dead in a universe she couldn't get to, and she really didn't need cheering up that badly. It was just a hump in the road. She'd get back to normal soon enough.

She nodded to herself then turned back to the man. "Stay right there," she instructed. "Don't come inside." She shut the door and walked over to the console. She grabbed the phone off the top. "Hey, Theta," she said into it, knowing that it would be rerouted to him. "So, River's here and she knows we're here. I'm going to go find out what she wants. When you're finished doing… Well, whatever you're doing, come find us. I'm sure she's up to no good."

She headed out of the TARDIS and followed the man down through the streets. "So, who are you?" she asked.

"Nardole, Mrs Fielding," he replied. "Doctor Song thought that my more charming personality would convince you to come without your husband."

"Charming personality?" Danni repeated, amused. "No offence, but you don't seem very charming to me."

"You're coming, aren't you?" he replied matter-of-factly.

She couldn't disagree with him and almost smiled. She liked him already, she could see why River might have him around. "And River's in trouble?"

" _Doctor Song_ ," he corrected pointedly. "She says that you're the best in the galaxy."

"I'm the best in most galaxies," she replied. "Where are we?"

"You don't know what planet you're on?" he asked slowly, sounding suddenly very unsure about her.

"I don't know what planet I'm on most of the time," she explained. "They're not normally well sign-posted."

"Mendorax Dellora," Nardole told her. "Ruled by King Hydroflax."

Danni's nose scrunched up. "Oh, royalty," she groaned. "I hate royalty. So entitled." She looked at Nardole, thinking it was quite nice to be around someone who wasn't too much taller than she was. It was a nice rest for her neck. "You're not taking me to royalty, are you Nardole?"

"Doctor Song specifically asked for you," Nardole explained, obviously skating around answering her question. She tried to not turn on her heels and head back to the TARDIS.

"Alright, fine," she muttered. She stopped to point at him. "If this King… whatever his name is—"

"Hydroflax," Nardole told her.

"-starts bossing me about like he's better than me, I'm leaving and that can be on your head."

"Why me?" he exclaimed.

"Because you're the one who brought me, obviously," she retorted before walking off as if she knew where she was going. Nardole quickly jogged to keep up with her. "I don't mind being respectful, but only if I'm repaid in kind and royalty tends to not to be very respectful towards me or my husband."

Nardole didn't speak up again, probably because he knew that this particular king wasn't going to be nice and was worried that she'd just leave them in whatever trouble River had found herself in. Danni wasn't sure if she would follow through on her threat, but she wanted it out in the open. She didn't have time to explain it to everyone. Nardole had made her leave the TARDIS, he could deal with the fallout.

He led her out of the small town and into the surrounding woods, where a very classical flying saucer sat in the snow. It was red, round and like something out of an old-fashioned science fiction movie.

"That's it?" she asked, still very unimpressed. "Where is the string to keep it up?"

"That's highly sophisticated technology," Nardole told her. "Come on."

She followed him out and the snow seemed to pick up its pace, falling faster now there wasn't much to buffer it. "Tell me again why I decided this was a good idea?"

"I told you, it's because I'm charming."

The doors on the saucer opened and out stepped a figure in a long cloak, their head covered by the large hood. It was all very dramatic and Danni rolled her eyes. They were even bathed in a yellow glow from the lights inside.

"I feel like I'm in some sort of bad movie," she told Nardole as they approached them. "Is that what this is? Am I going to appear on some prank television show? I didn't sign any waivers about that."

"Well, you took your time," the figure called out and Danni almost laughed. She should have known that River would be right in the middle of the drama.

Nardole bowed. "Sorry, ma'am," he replied, motioning to Danni. "Mrs Fielding, as requested."

River pulled down her hood, a smirk appearing on her face, like she was very proud of what was happening around her. "Hello, Danni-Girl," she said.

Danni, on the other hand, felt such a deep relief at seeing her face that the moment she'd let go of the hood, she was throwing her arms around her for a tight hug. She wasn't sure where it came from, but she couldn't help herself. She was just so happy.

River, as always, loved it when Danni was happy to see her. It had been a while, but she knew the face well. This was the Danni who the Doctor lost, the one who had been taken by Missy. She also knew that this Danni was the one that would carry a gun and was as sassy as her mother could be. She knew this Danni as the one who would help her away Baby-Danni and would be there for her for the entire time afterwards. She was her best friend, her daughter.

And not very touchy-feely.

" _Mum…_ "

River's heart soared at the little whisper, even as she became more and more concerned at her behaviour. She never called her mum, not really.

"Well, it's nice to see you too," she replied, pulling back to try and look at her daughter's face. Danni's eyes shone but she didn't cry, which was more like the Danni she knew this one to be, but she also held onto River's arms tightly. River smiled at her. "Perhaps I should drop in more often if this is the welcome that I'll get."

Nardole cleared his throat. "Um, ma'am…" he started pointedly and River nodded.

"Right, you're right," she replied to him before falling back into business. "Follow my lead, do as I say," she instructed. "It'll be over quickly."

"What have you gotten yourself into this time?" Danni asked, following River into the spaceship. "I'm not sure how I like the 'house call' business."

"You love it, I know you do," River dismissed. "Now shush, let me do the talking."

The inside of the flying saucer was exactly how Danni had expected it to be. There was one main room, that was also circular, with monitors inset into the walls. In the middle was a very large man in even larger armour and everything was coloured a dull red. She really wasn't impressed.

"Husband, I return to you," River declared, flinging her arms out as she walked over to the middle of the room and the man lying there.

"Where is my queen?" the man groaned in pain. She walked around to his head, which was dwarfed by the giant suit of armour he was in. In fact, he looked absolutely ridiculous and Danni had to press her lips together to stop herself from laughing.

"Never far from you, my love," River replied adoringly.

"That's the king?" Danni asked Nardole lowly as they watched from the side of the room. He nodded. "And she's married to him?"

"Yes," he whispered in reply, trying to get her to be quiet. Instead she sighed heavily.

"Oh, River, what have you gotten yourself into?" she muttered to herself. She was suddenly overcome with the rather large realisation that she wasn't getting herself into the middle of a happy romp, but rather a large deception on River's part. "Um, Doctor Song!" she called over. River gave her husband a loving look then walked over to Danni, who kept her voice low. "What is happening?" she demanded.

"We're surrounded by warrior monks with sentient laser swords, genetically engineered anger problems and not enough to do," she whispered. "Just follow my lead."

"I don't care what we're surrounded by."

" _And_ we're being watched by four billion people," River continued, indicating to the masses of people being broadcast on the monitors around them.

"I didn't sign up for a _stepdad_ ," Danni hissed.

"My love, attend me, woman," the kind demanded rudely. River quickly turned and ran to his side.

"I fly to you," she said grandly.

"Stepdad?" Nardole asked her and she glanced at him.

"She didn't tell you who I was, did she?" she asked. He shook his head. "Then you're going to be in for hell of a surprise."

"My one true love. The only husband I will ever have. My time with you has been too short," River continued and Danni actually snorted in laugher, turning her head to try and stifle it.

"You have given me days of adventure and many nights of passion," Hydroflax replied, as if to get his own back for Danni's laugh, and she groaned at the idea of anyone being passionate with River. "The end is near. I feel it."

River continued to stroke his shoulder plates to give him comfort. Danni felt a little sick. "Forgive me, my lord. I have acted against your instructions," River said apologetically.

"My love?"

"If you die this day, this galaxy will drown any tears," River told him before motioning to the monitors around them. "Oh, look at them, your people! They watch and hope and pray. With so much at stake, I followed my heart. I disobeyed your orders and sent for the finest surgeon in the galaxy!" The crowds all cheered as she chucked her arms out, basking in their adoration.

Danni's mouth fell open and her eyes widened in horrified realisation.

 _What?!_

 _~0~0~0~_

"What the _hell_ have you roped me into?" Danni demanded.

"It's not that bad," River retorted.

"I'm not a bloody surgeon, River!" she exclaimed. "What the hell are you even doing here?!"

River had relocated them to a side room to 'discuss plans' to save the King. Danni had followed a little numbly, acutely aware of how angry the man on the table appeared to be as well as how much had been dropped on her shoulders.

"I'm helping my husband," River replied, standing a little straighter. "I can't let him die." Danni just stared at her until she sighed heavily. She walked over to the table in the middle of the room. "Let me show you."

She brought up a large floating projection of the King's head. "Here's the entry wound, just below the hairline," she explained, showing off the wound on his forehead before zooming in to an internal scan. "And there's the projectile. It should have killed him straight off, but he's very strong."

"Well, then, he can say a long and probably rather messy goodbye because, as you seem to have forgotten; _I am not a surgeon!"_ Danni exclaimed before frowning, leaning a little closer as she actually took a look at the scan. "What the hell is that?" she asked. She reached up to the scan, automatically trying to zoom in with her hand. "How the hell did he get a diamond in his brain?"

"At speed," River replied, a little cheekily and Danni snorted again.

"And you _married_ this man?" Danni asked. River shrugged. "I'm a little insulted I never got invited to the wedding."

"You don't invite me to all of yours," River counted and Danni couldn't argue with that. "It's the Halladdi Androvar."

"And that's supposed to mean something to me?"

"It should," she replied. "It's the most valuable diamond in the universe right now."

"And it's in his head?"

"Hydroflax was leading a raid on the Hallassi vaults. the ensuing fire-fight, the whole thing blew up in his face, with the result that he now has the most valuable diamond in the universe lodged three inches inside his enormous head," River explained as Danni tilted the scan so she could see the diamond better.

"A raid on a vault?" Danni asked and River made a confirmation noise. She turned to River, suddenly very interested. "Were there tiaras?" River raised an eyebrow, amused. "What? I like tiaras!" She turned back to the scan. "And you expect me to be able to remove this diamond from his head?"

"No, of course not," River scoffed. "I expect you to be able to remove his head."

Danni blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I think it would be easier just to remove the whole thing, don't you?"

Danni stared at her mother for a long moment, surprised by how dismissive River was being about, especially, murdering a man. She had always had a bit of a disregard for other people but this seemed a little bit ridiculous. Actually, her being so affectionate with anyone like that seemed a bit ridiculous…

"You married the diamond, didn't you?" Danni stated before groaning at River's sheepish look. " _River!_ What is…" She growled. "I'm leaving," she declared. "I didn't sign up for this."

"You never sign up to do anything," River dismissed before leaning against the table the projection was above. "The Halassi want their diamond back, so they came to me," she explained. "They weren't too happy someone had broken into their vaults and stolen it in his head."

Danni tried not to laugh at the idea of someone stealing anything by smuggling it out in their brain. It seemed a bit excessive, which made of a brilliant image. "I have to admit, I'm not too keen on people ransacking and pillaging, especially jumped-up royalty."

Seeing her coming over, River nodded and picked up her bag, emptying it out. There were a few random items that Danni was sure she'd stolen. "I think this will work," she said. "I did check it for leaks."

Danni started to nod along, as she'd seen the size of his head and the bag was pretty big, before she realised just what she was agreeing to. "I'm not helping you murder anyone," she said firmly. " _You_ shouldn't be trying to murder anyone! Don't think I'm just going to help you because you're my mother."

"Do you know what that man is?" River asked. Danni did not. "King Hydroflax, the butcher of the Bone Meadows, who ends his battles by _eating_ his enemies, dead or alive."

Danni scrunched her nose up. "Ew," she said, disgusted. River nodded her agreement.

"The murder of a creature like that wouldn't weigh heavily on my conscience, even if I had one," she continued. "And it shouldn't on yours. All we have to do is get in, turn the lights up, grab the saw and get out of there before anyone notices."

"Before anyone…" Danni started, incredulous.

"You're thinking too much about this," River dismissed. "He's dying already. All we're going to do is steal his head and scoop out his brains."

Danni opened her mouth to argue further as the hologram of King Hydroflax's head disappeared, revealing Hydroflax stood in the doorway. Both women looked as surprised as each other at his sudden appearance.

"Darling!" River greeted. "You're up and about!"

Hydroflax looked positively murderous. "False wife!" he accused.

"How much better you're looking," River tried again, hoping to placate him.

"You plan to take my head," he snarled in his rage.

"Never crossed my mind," River promised before she shoved the bag at Danni. "Is this your bag?"

Danni took it, her hearts pounding, and she clutched it to her like a shield. Hydroflax's lips pulled back into another snarl.

"Perhaps you should have just asked," he told his wife. He raised his large right hand and it began to spin. He turned his head to look at it and then, much to their surprised, pulled his head right off. He placed it in the middle of the table, where he continued to glare at them.

"Well! I wondered why we didn't share a bathroom," River exclaimed, sounding outraged.

"I have to admit, I didn't see that coming," Danni muttered.

"I'll have you flogged and flayed and burnt. I will crush every last remnant of you from this universe," Hydroflax promised and Danni's hands clenched on the bag, suddenly incredibly angry about his rudeness.

"How dare you! I'm your wife," River snapped.

"You planned to murder me!" Hydroflax pointed out.

"Don't change the subject."

"Why are you doing this? Who are you?"

River's hands slammed onto the table in front of her. "I'm Professor River Song," she told him. "You have an ancient artefact of great value to good people, and whatever it takes, I'm going to bring it home to them. You have stolen so much from so many, King Hydroflax, and I'm the woman who's going to steal it all back."

"What are you?!" Hydroflax demanded.

"I'm an archaeologist," River told him before reaching into her belt. "Look! I've got a trowel." Danni grinned as she set it off, showing that it was a sonic trowel, before she turned to attack the monks that circled the room. They seemed pretty easy to subdue, so River quickly turned her attention onto Hydroflax's armour, which was now attacking on its own. It was pretty badass, Danni had to admit, to watch her fight but they didn't have much time at all. She needed to help, and fast, so she did the one thing that she could think of; she grabbed the head.

" _Alright, that's enough_!" she cried out angrily. She held Hydroflax out in front of her, squishing his face between her palms. "Call him off!"

"Ignore her!" Hydroflax commanded. "Attack!"

Danni tightened her grip on his face. "I said call him off!" she demanded. "Or I'm…" She looked around. "Or I'm…" She rushed over to the wall where the words 'garbage disposal' were written in white. "Guess who's going for a ride?"

"Put me down!" Hydroflax demanded. Danni gave him a little shake.

"You were rude to my mother," she told him. She opened the shoot. "Sort yourself out or you're going to have a very long drop down."

Hydroflax, despite being incredibly not happy about what was happening, looked over at his body with an air of defeat. "Do not attack the female."

The body stopped its advance and River grabbed the bag as she ran over to Danni's side. She pointed it at Hydroflax's head. "Nobody move, or the head gets it," she threatened. Danni looked at her, less than impressed.

"' _The head gets it'_?" she repeated. "What are you, a villain in a western?"

"Oi, I am your mother, you know?" River retorted. "I'll ground you if you keep talking to me like that."

Danni scoffed. "You couldn't ground me," she replied confidently.

"And why not? Do you think I'm a pushover? I've just tried to decapitate a king to steal a diamond."

"No, you just couldn't stay still long enough to see the punishment through," Danni replied. River looked ready to argue, but then nodded, agreeing completely. Danni nodded her head at the trowel. "Love that, by the way."

River smirked. "Knew you would."

"Their threats are empty," Hydroflax spoke up. "Destroy them!"

The body didn't move from its spot. Instead its lights flashed as it spoke in a robotic voice. "Negative. Seventy eight percent chance of significant tissue damage."

"Do as you're told!" Hydroflax commanded, outraged. Danni shook her head at the tone of his voice.

"Everyone's always so rude," she said to River as if she was commenting on some people in the street. River nodded along, agreeing.

"Decision overruled," the armour replied. "Recommendation, _chill_." The amour deflated, slumping over as it took its own advice and decided to calm itself down.

"Oh, wow," Danni commented, actually a little impressed. "Vernacular friendly interface. Must have an onboard computer to scan the local language. That's pretty awesome." She looked to River. "Do people still say 'chill', though? Feels a bit outdated."

"I think so, I don't tend to brush up on planetary slang until I'm in the middle of it," she replied.

"Understandable," Danni said. "It's pretty awesome, though. Cybernetic co-pilot. Must have cost a fair bit." She looked down at the top of Hydroflax's head. "Guess that's why you were stealing the diamond in the first place."

"Speaking of which," River said, keeping her trowel raised as she pressed a button on her wrist communicator. "Ramone, prep for emergency extraction. Two to go."

" _Standing by for teleport,_ " a voice replied.

River held out the bag to Danni. "Put it in the bag."

Danni glanced between the head and the suit of armour, pondering the moral implications of stealing a man's head and running away with it to get a diamond out of it. Then, she realised, he'd been incredibly rude to both her and her mother and she didn't much care. So she shoved it in the bag as he protested.

"Ramone, twenty seconds to jump," River told her friend on the other side of the communicator.

" _You will be crushed; you will be destroyed!_ "

"Oh, do shut up," Danni told him, giving the bag a little jiggle out of annoyance.

" _You will beg my infinite mercy!"_

"Try to follow us and I'll put him in a blender," River warned the armour. "Ramone, now!"

The cold immediately picked up as they were teleported out of the flying saucer and out into the woods where Nardole had brought Danni in the first place. Unfortunately, they were also a good two or so feet off the ground so the pair landed with a groan in the snow below them. Danni coughed as River shot up, holding her communicator up to her mouth.

"Ramone! Just once, can you get the height right?" she exclaimed angrily. As she continued to rant to the person on the other side of the communicator, Danni glanced over at the bag that held Hydroflax's head. It had rolled away from them when they'd fallen but was still, thankfully, zipped up.

" _When I escape, I will bring terror to you and your family. There is no escape from the…_ " he was ranting, the bag shaking from his rage. Danni couldn't help it, she really tried not to, but her face broke out into a grin and she started laughing. A hard, deep, delighted laugh that had River turn her attention back onto her daughter.

"What are you laughing at?" River asked her, brows furrowing. "We're probably being hunted now as we speak."

Danni nodded into the snow. The back of her clothes was already soaking through. She didn't care. "Oh, I know," she replied through her laugh. "I-I know, it's just… Well, look at him!" She chucked her arm to her side to point at Hydroflax's head. "Look at him ranting and raving, but he's just a head in bag. We're-We're being threatened by a head in a bag." Her head tilted back as River started to laugh along with her. "I-I mean, how's he going to eat us now? He's got no stomach! What a waste!"

River really couldn't help laughing along with her daughter, delighted that they were sharing such a strange, and yet wonderful moment together. She was seeing her less frequently with age, but the adventures were always so much better when she was there. Especially when the Doctor wasn't.

" _Prepare to die in agony and submit to my supremacy! Unzip this bag!_ "

Danni finally sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes. She felt genuine happiness and it was nice. She missed it. She hoped it didn't go away. She had known she was in for a bit of a treat when Nardole had appeared, despite her reservations. Who knew stealing a head would be such fun?

Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh no!" she exclaimed, looking to River. "We forgot Nardole!"

River looked a little surprised. "Nardole?" she repeated.

"Yeah," she replied. "He annoyed me."

"And you're worried about him?"

Danni nodded. "Of course I am," she retorted. "I liked him! And so should you!"

River did, actually. Nardole was quite dear to her heart, she just hadn't expected Danni to remember him whilst they were running for their lives. Although, now she thought about it, Danni was a bit more considerate than she was. She got that from her father, not her.

"You're going soft in your old age," River teased her.

"Oi, I'm not old," Danni protested.

"You must be older than me now," River replied. Danni pulled a face.

"That's true a lot of the time, though," she reasoned. "Time travel means we can be as old, or as young, as the other at any one point."

A rather good-looking man ran out of the trees, calling River's name and putting an end to any further time travel debates that may have been coming their way. "Professor Song!" River scrambled off the floor and over to him. "Sorry, Professor," he said, panting slightly. "Sorry about the height thing."

Ah, that must have been Ramone. She did wonder who was on the end of the call…

"Prove it," River challenged before pulling him down into a kiss. Danni groaned, standing up and brushing off the snow off her. The kiss didn't end, in fact it got a bit deeper and she turned to pick up the head.

Nope _, still_ kissing.

"River!" she barked. River broke away, looking a little smug.

"Sorry. This is my husband, Ramone," she explained.

"Really?" Danni replied before shrugging. "Well, I like him better than the other one." She lifted the bag up to illustrate her point. "We should probably get going. TARDIS isn't too far away."

As they walked, Ramone smiled warmly at Danni. "We're not actually married," he explained.

"Ah, we are, in fact," River broke to him, a little apologetically. "I wiped it from your memory."

"Why?" Ramone asked, sounding a little hurt.

"Well, you were being annoying," River replied.

"Really, River?" Danni said. "You wiped his memory just because he was annoying? That's cold."

"I probably deserved it," Ramone spoke up, trying to relieve River of any guilt. Danni paused in the snow and pointed at him, her good mood gone and her anger back.

"No one _ever_ deserves that," she told him firmly. " _No one_." She turned, storming away with the bag swinging, its contents complaining about the ride. River watched her go, brows furrowed and concerned. That was quite the mood swing.

She turned to Ramone, smiling at him. "You head to Temple Beach," she instructed, giving him a kiss. "I've already picked out your swimwear."

He smiled and she felt a bit bad for taking his memories. "Okay, but be careful."

She smirked. "Absolutely not," she retorted before jogging slightly to catch up with Danni. "Want to tell me what that was about?" she asked. Danni glanced out the side of her eye at her mother. She didn't want to get into the specifics, she didn't want to keep remembering what she had done. She just wanted to be left alone.

Then why was she still glad that River was there? Could her brain just make up its mind?

"You never told me how you _happened_ to be here," Danni replied, skipping over her question completely.

"Well, that wasn't exactly an accident. This was the closest intersection with your timeline, so I crashed his ship here."

"Aww, I feel loved," Danni joked. "Guess you needed the TARDIS, eh?"

River shrugged. "It does help to have a time machine when planning a daring escape plan," she admitted. "But, I thought we could do this together. A little mother-daughter outing."

Danni smiled again, although she didn't quite feel it like she had been before. "Yeah, well, who can say no to that?" she said softly.


	50. The Bad News

" _Hey, Theta. So, River's here and she knows we're here. I'm going to go find out what she wants. When you're finished doing… Well, whatever you're doing, come find us. I'm sure she's up to no good."_

The Doctor looked up at the ceiling and away from his newspaper, wondering if Danielle was going to give him any more information. Like, for example, where she was going to find River. Or where he was supposed to find her.

Nothing came though and he sighed, folding up the paper nicely before placing it down on the table in front of him. He wasn't worried about what she would be getting up to. If she didn't think it was River then she wouldn't have gone out on her own. In fact, he was more surprised that she had gone out at all.

He picked up his cup of tea and took a sip. He knew that she was still feeling the side effects of wiping her own memory and she had been very rapidly pulling away from everything that wasn't him. Normally he loved having her attention and being able to hold it, but he knew that this time, it came from a dark place that he didn't want her to dwell in. He could capture her attention legitimately, he refused to play into her fears of what was waiting to take a little bit more of who she was. If it wasn't Missy, it was herself.

So he'd been trying so hard to get her out of her shell. He was taking her to new places, just as she had requested. He'd been giving her space to come to terms with leaving the TARDIS, almost like a child being given warning as to when they were leaving the park. She'd used it on him many times before and it always worked.

That's what he was doing now. He was reading a newspaper from sometime in the 1800's, from Glasgow, that the TARDIS had materialised for him while he drank his tea. He had been giving her time to either get herself ready or come to tell him that she really wasn't up for a trip out. All she had to do was say the word and they could stay home. It was how he knew that she really did want to get back to travelling; she had yet to ask him to stay home. Somewhere, inside her perceived ambivalence, was the Danni he knew and adored. She was just terrified of coming out.

Which made her little trip out to see River all the more surprising. She was venturing outside of her own accord. It was definitely a step in the right direction, and for a moment he did wonder if he should try and follow just to make sure she didn't get into any more dangerous situations. But, he knew, that if she had thought there was something wrong she would have waited. Their life wasn't all running around and fighting bad guys. In fact, that was only a small portion of their lives. Like, fifty percent.

Maybe sixty.

He raised his cup of tea again, ready to enjoy it knowing he could relax a little longer when he came to the startling conclusion that their life might have been calm and wonderful, but he knew River got into a lot more trouble than they did. In fact, trouble seemed to follow that woman around, if she wasn't looking for it herself.

Maybe he should just check on them. Something bad happening could be made all the worse for Danni if she started panicking. He trusted her abilities, but she wasn't feeling herself and River wouldn't take that into consideration.

He grabbed his jacket on the way out of the kitchen, newspaper and tea abandoned. He'd chosen to land during the Christmas period because they both had a bit of a nostalgic love of the festive period and he thought mixing it in with the new would be rather enjoyable. He hoped she'd grabbed a coat.

Not that he liked the baby her or anything. If she wanted to freeze, he guessed, that was up to her. He wasn't particularly happy about it because she was still prone to human illnesses and he didn't want to catch something. And, despite being her mother, River wouldn't consider keeping her as safe as possible, and she certainly wouldn't worry about her getting ill.

He shook his head as he made his way to the front doors. He didn't have time to rant about River in his head. He could do that later, to her face. He just hoped he could catch find them both. They could have been anywhere by…

He frowned, pulling on the front door. It didn't open. He tried again, giving it a little jiggle but it still didn't budge. He tried pushing it, just in case he'd forgotten how to open them as he'd been to sleep since the last time they'd left, but still nothing happened.

Now deeply worried, he went back over to the console. "What has that archaeologist done to you now?" he asked his time machine, typing on the console. It wouldn't have been the first time River had locked him out of an adventure. He needed to see what she had done.

It turned out, though, that it hadn't even been River who had picked up his wife, but a short, round man in a bobble hat. That did nothing to calm his nerves, nor did it explain why the front doors wouldn't open. He checked everything he could possibly think of – including whether or not the TARDIS's dimensions had been stolen again because that _could_ have been the issue – when the door opened. He turned around, poised for attack.

"We really _should_ go back for Nardole!" Danni complained, stepping into the TARDIS. He blinked, surprised. How did she even manage to get in?

"Nardole can take care of himself," River dismissed as she followed her daughter in, closing the door behind her like it was nothing at all.

"How are you not more worried?" she asked. "He's your friend, isn't he?"

"I guess," River offered, trying not to suggest she cared at all for anyone she knew beyond what they could do for her.

"You guess?" Danni replied. "How can…" She finally caught sight of the Doctor, who looked absolutely baffled by the appearance. River she could understand, but her? "Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked, concerned.

"How did you get in?" he asked bluntly. Still concerned, she shrugged.

"By-By opening the door?" she offered. She was still holding her key, so she gave it a little wave. "You know, the usual way?"

"But how?" he exclaimed. "I-I tried and-and," he stopped, looking up at the rotor. " _What have I told you about ganging up on me?_ "

"Doctor, what's going on?" Danni asked but River rolled her eyes. She didn't have time for any of his dramatics and instead walked up to the console.

"We really should get out of here," she told her daughter.

"We _should_ find Nardole," she pointed out but kept her attention on the Doctor, who's confusion seemed to be upsetting him. "What's happening?"

"I couldn't get out. She wouldn't open the doors," he explained. "Who's Nardole? And what is _that_?" He pointed to the bag in her other hand. She looked down at it, vaguely confused before grinning a little sheepishly.

"Oh, that," she replied. "Um, that is the head of King Hydroflax."

His eyebrows rose. "The _head_?"

"Yeah…" Danni replied, drawing it out slightly. "We kind of stole it."

"You…" He paused slightly, trying to compute what she had just told him. "You _stole_ some king's head?" She nodded. "I have so many questions," he admitted. "But we've talked about your stealing, Danielle."

Suddenly feeling like she was being told off by another parent, she straightened, on the defensive. "He was rude to my mum," she protested. "And he did, technically, offer it up himself!"

"Also there's the diamond," River reminded, although the smirk on her face just said that she was just happy that Danni was defending her.

"Oh, yeah, that too," Danni agreed offhandedly, chucking it down on the pilot chair. The King protested, which just made her smile. "He robbed a vault, or something, and got a diamond lodged in his head. To be honest, he seems a bit of a moron."

"That doesn't mean you can just steal his head!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"He _eats_ his enemies!" Danni exclaimed right back. "Dead or alive!"

The Doctor scrunched up his nose and Danni smirked, smug. She _knew_ he'd feel the same when he heard what the man had done. Because, really, who _ate_ their enemies?

The Doctor pointed at River. "This is her bad influence," he decided. "This only happens when she's about!"

"Not true," Danni argued. "I'm like this a _lot_ of the time. Have you not seen the gene pool I came splashing out of? I didn't stand a chance." She smirked, stepping closer to him and placed a hand on his arm. "Plus, you love it really," she purred. "You wouldn't have me any other way."

How could he argue with that? With the twinkle in her eye and the smirk on her lips that had been absent for a long time, now, he felt like she was finally coming back to him. If only for a moment, at the very least. He pulled her closer and she let out a noise of surprised delight. "You are quite right," he agreed lowly.

He leant down to kiss her when a loud, continuous beeping started coming from the bag. Danni frowned, looking over at it. "What is that?" she asked lowly, concerned. He tried to hold onto her for a moment longer but she broke free, walking over and picking it up. He growled under his breath; River _always_ found a way to interrupt their moments.

Danni opened the bag and saw Hydroflax with his eyes closed and his mouth open, the beeping coming from the ring that his head was sat on. "I think his head's died!" she exclaimed. The Doctor walked over, snatching the bag from her hands.

"No, I think he's just powered down, conserving batteries," he promised her and her shoulders sagged in relief. "It's an in-built life-support system. I'm not sure what powers it."

Danni shook her head. "I don't think that's the noise, though," she replied as she took the head out of the bag. The ring around the… _urgh_ … neck was flashing in time with the beeping. "I think it's a distress signal."

"A homing beacon?" River asked and Danni nodded. "So the rest of him is coming?"

"He must be very cross. He's lost his head," the Doctor snapped in reply.

"Time we were off, then," she replied, unfazed by his tone. She quickly activated the engines, ready to take off but the TARDIS just stuttered before going silent again. Danni frowned, walking up to her mother.

"What's wrong with her?" Danni asked. "Maybe you're doing it wrong."

"I am certainly not," River protested.

"What about this?" Danni tried herself, flipping a few different levers before trying to set her off into flight. Again, not much happened. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked the TARDIS, concerned for their home. She very rarely acted like she _couldn't_ take off. "Maybe the body has done something? Interfered with her, somehow?" She looked to her husband for clarification but he shook his head.

"The engines are interfering with themselves," he explained. "The TARDIS has certain safeguards. Ones that people who _live_ in her," he shot River a dirty look, "would know about if they weren't being distracted by their immediately family."

Danni's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh," she stated before feeling a little foolish. "Of course." She looked at River. "The head and the body are considered the same person, despite being able to be detached. The TARDIS won't take off if a life form registers as being both inside and outside at the same time."

"Of course," she replied. "She can't seal the real-time envelope."

"You have to be either inside or outside of the TARDIS for her to be able to fly. It's just good manners," Danni finished.

"That's how Clara managed to take the ride on the outside," River mused. "I did wonder how she wasn't registered as a passenger, but it was because she wasn't in the doorway, she was just holding onto it." She motioned to the head. "How do we stop it?"

Danni hadn't expected such a casual reference to Clara and it completely took her out of the moment and chucked her right back to where she had been before River had turned up; wallowing in her own mess, her own misery. She'd forgotten that she was even mourning the loss of a woman she couldn't remember, and she had enjoyed every minute of it.

Did that make her a terrible person?

"We'll have to get rid of the head," she declared instead of addressing the heaviness that was falling over the room. "Chuck it out of the door."

"We can't do that," River replied. "There's a very expensive diamond in that head that I need." Her eyes lit up in inspiration. "We can just kill the head."

"What, by shooting him in the face?" Danni retorted.

"Why not?"

Before Danni could explain her complete and utter dismay at her mother wanting to kill _anyone_ and that she had to explain why that was a Bad Thing, Hydroflax's eyes shot open and he roared in anger. Danni yelled and immediately dropped him onto his face.

"What the hell?!" she exclaimed, angrily. "There's no need for that!"

"Do not fire if you value your lives," Hydroflax ranted.

"Why, what are you going to do?" the Doctor retorted.

"Kill me, and my body will burn," Hydroflax warned, which seemed a little odd considering they didn't have his body, they had his head.

"Burn what?" Danni asked him slowly, a little suspiciously.

"This world!"

Danni's hearts skipped a beat and she looked to River for confirmation that it was _really_ a thing he could do. She nodded, motioning for Danni to put him down on the console.

"Suppose we believe you," River started, looking at Hydroflax as if she really didn't. " _How_?"

"My body contains a split quantum actualiser," he explained.

"A perpetually stabilised black hole. That's your power source," the Doctor said, rewording it at the sight of Danni's slightly confused look. She smiled at him, grateful, but he could feel the upset still bubbling underneath. The mere mention of Clara had caused her to regress back into herself. He shouldn't have expected any different, though. It was going to take more than one adventure to help her.

Still, perhaps River could stay for a little while…

"More than a power source," Hydroflax continued. "If necessary, a bomb."

"And you're just going to blow up the entire planet?!" Danni exclaimed, outraged. "All because someone stole your head!"

"Not just the planet; the whole solar system," Hydroflax boasted. "It wouldn't be the first."

River leant in closer. "It would be your last," she replied pointedly. Hydroflax didn't seem too worried, in fact he seemed rather proud.

"A fitting end for the glory of Hydroflax!"

"A fitting…" Danni started, getting angrier by the moment. "You _eat_ people! There is no glory! It's disgusting."

"It is my right as…"

"No, it's not!" she interrupted, cutting him off before he could rant and rave about how great he was. "No one has the right to anything!"

"I shall be remembered as the King who devoured his enemies!"

"Oh, so the King who filled his big, fat, useless stomach with the losers of wars?!" she snapped back. He looked positively outraged. "No wonder we managed to steal your head," she continued, prodding him in the cheeks. "You need a better diet."

"Remove your hands from me, woman," he exclaimed. "You are not worthy to touch me. You are nothing."

"Oi!" the Doctor said, now rather annoyed at the disrespect he was showing his wife. "That's my wife you're talking to. You can't talk about being nothing, you're only a fifth of a person!"

"If you could really cause an explosion you would have done so already," River cut in. "You're lying."

"A king does not endanger his people for no reason," Hydroflax replied grandly, like he was doing everyone a service.

"You're endangering them now."

Hydroflax barely offered him a glance. "I'm cross."

"Well, I guess that's a good reason," Danni offered with a shrug. The Doctor looked down at her and she rolled her eyes at his look. "Oh, don't give me that," she snapped. "I didn't say that I wanted him to do it, I said it was a good reason. I once blew up a castle because the prince hit on me and it pissed me off."

"Wait, what prince?" the Doctor asked as there was knocking on the door.

"Wait, I read about that," River talked over him. "The Prince of Maldiva, right?" Danni nodded as the Doctor looked between the two.

"Yeah, that's him," she confused.

"The Prince of Maldiva?" the Doctor repeated. "What did he want, exactly?"

"Oh, he seemed like an arse," River told her daughter.

"He was."

"I would have blown his castle up too."

The Doctor was getting more and more frustrated as they both ignored him and someone kept knocking on the doors. This _always_ happened when River was about, and the Doctor really wouldn't mind Danni talking to anyone else if he didn't think that River was doing it pointedly, so she wouldn't talk to _him._

"Doctor Song," Ramone's voice called him, sounding very strained. "Are you there? I have a message for you."

"Ramone!" River cried, running towards the door before Danni could grab her arm. "Get in here!"

"River, don't!" she cried after her. They didn't know what the suit of armour was capable of. They didn't know if it could mimic voices. They had no idea if that was really Ramone.

It turned out that it was part Ramone. Before River could open the doors, the armour kicked them open. It had Ramone's head where Hydroflax's had once sat and he looked terrified.

"You're going to die!" he sobbed. The armour stepped in and River tried to run, but it reached out and grabbed her around the neck, lifting her off the ground.

"Kill her!" Hydroflax ordered.

Danni's hearts stopped as River started to flail. "Mum!" she screamed, running forward and reaching down to the pocket of the jacket she suddenly realised she wasn't wearing. She actually had no idea where it was, and therefore had no idea where he gun was. Not that she was convinced that it would do any damage – it was a good gun, but that was a _very_ good piece of armour – but she couldn't just watch as it killed her. She had to do _something_.

She rushed forward and around the armour, not thinking and just acting as she shut the doors of the TARDIS. The TARDIS shuddered and jolted as she immediately set into flight without a pilot and River managed to throw herself onto the floor. Danni immediately was by her side, helping her up.

"Are you okay?" she asked and River nodded.

"Move!" she instructed as the armour continued to try and get her.

The Doctor grabbed the controls, trying to get the TARDIS back under control. "Where are we going?"

"Get the head!" River instructed, shoving Danni in front of her as they moved around the console and away from the killer suit.

" _You_ set the coordinates," he accused. "Where for?"

"Just get the damn head!" she exclaimed as she grabbed the bag they'd brought him in and chucked it at Danni. The Doctor rolled his eyes as Hydroflax demanded for their deaths, grabbed the head and chucked it to his wife. She caught it and shoved him in the bag as the TARDIS landed.

River immediately grabbed her hand and began dragging her out. "Follow me!"

"Wait, we can't leave them in the TARDIS!" Danni protested, trying to reach for her husband, who was hot on their trail. "They'll destroy her.

"They'll destroy us if we stay," River pointed out, quite rightly.

"Well then we have to stop them," Danni protested. "They're your husbands!"

They burst out into what appeared to be a storage room, full of boxes and suitcases that felt very on brand for all of them. The Doctor was right behind them but River was doing a very good job at keeping Danni from grabbing his hand.

"I should have known," he retorted. "You're always bringing trouble into our TARDIS; I should have guessed anyone that angry would have to know you personally."

"You married me to, remember?" River pointed out.

"And look how angry I am now," the Doctor snapped. "If she's damaged, River, you're paying for the repairs."

"Hush now."

"Don't hush me!" the Doctor protested.

"Is arguing really what we should be doing right now?" Danni asked. "River, where have you brought…"

She trailed off as they burst through a set of double doors into an open room. They appeared to come out underneath a set of double stairs into a posh party, where everyone was in their best cocktail clothing and drinking cocktails. There was calming, classical music tinkling through the air and while they seemed to be curious at the new people who had entered the room, no one paid them too much attention.

Danni pulled down on her skirt, suddenly feeling rather underdressed.

River closed the doors behind them and the trio stepped into the room, looking around at the ornate decoration. "Where are we?" Danni asked again, this time quieter.

"The Harmony and Redemption, I should think," the Doctor replied before heading towards a large screen on one wall. There were couples around, drinking and talking and it all seemed rather too nice for the scenario they'd found themselves in. Even so, Danni looked over the display of the space ship's flight path, very much interested.

"It's rather nice, isn't it?" River asked her daughter, who nodded her agreement.

"We don't really do vacations anymore," she explained. "I do remember one, years ago before Missy came for me, but it's joined with so much fuzziness I'm not sure about it at all."

"Was that just on your own?" River asked, always interested in her daughter's life. "Or did you take Clara too?"

Danni shrugged, didn't reply, and stepped closer to the screen to read the smaller text, to hide the fact that she had absolutely no idea if Clara had gone, or if she'd even known about it in the first place.

"She wiped her memory of Clara," the Doctor explained quietly, and sadly, to River, who seemed rather confused by Danni's reaction. "She doesn't remember what she looked like, what their friendship was, what it felt like. Her memories have a Clara-shaped hole in them and she's still trying to figure out what she wiped, what Missy placed in her head, and what she's just plain forgot."

"Why would she do that?" River asked, horrified as she watched Danni. Her head was slightly tilted as she tried to work out what the screen was trying to tell them. She hadn't recognised anything was wrong, but she had been preoccupied.

The Doctor didn't really know how to answer her. It was partly -mainly- his fault, but he didn't want to admit it out loud. He wanted to make up for it, be a better person, show that he was a better person than what he had become. River didn't need to be a part of that. "I guess, ultimately, it was to ensure that Clara had a good death," he reasoned, knowing that it wasn't exactly a lie.

"That does sound like her," River replied softly.

" _Doctor Song_."

All three of them turned their heads to see a blue, bug-like waiter called Flemming heading towards them. He seemed very familiar with River, who even managed to get him to deadlock the luggage hold to keep Hydroflax at bay, before quickly ushering them towards the doors out of the room and to a table that, apparently, was waiting for them.

River stopped, though, before they entered the dining room. "I don't suppose you mind if I freshen up," she said with a smirk at Danni before reaching into one of the pouches on the utility belt she was wearing. Danni hadn't noticed it before, but she quickly made a note to check if the TARDIS had one.

River pulled out a small spray and spritz it above her head. It quickly transformed her outfit from the practical leather jacket and trousers to a beautiful black and sequinned dress, complete with clutch bag and hairdo. Danni's mouth dropped as River posed slightly. "Not bad for two hundred, eh?" River boasted modestly.

"You look amazing," Danni praised, much to her delight, before her eyes moved to the spray. "What is that?" she asked. "How does it work? Will it work on me?"

River looked at the small bottle in her hand. She had made up the little concoction herself because it was so much more convenient to carry than a whole bag of wardrobe changes. She'd never tried it, nor wanted to try it, on anyone else before.

"Let's see," she offered, spraying it at Danni. Immediately the same golden shine that had indicated River's transformation shimmered down her and she watched as her clothes changed, not into the same dress as River was wearing, but a dark blue number that had a flared skirt and cut off just above her knee. It had a lace overlay and she quickly reached up; it had even put her hair up as well.

"Oh wow," she breathed. "That is amazing."

River popped the spray into the purse. "They are clever little bots, aren't they?" she replied.

Danni turned around to her husband, a smile on her face as her skirt flared around her legs. "What do you think?" she asked him.

He thought a number of things. He thought she looked amazing no matter what she wore, but he did think the dress suited her perfectly. But it was the smile that it brought, the happiness that she wore proudly at something new that she didn't understand but loved, that made her look absolutely stunning.

He held out his arm to her and she giggled, almost skipping over to his side in her new heels – _it had even changed her shoes!_ – and took it. It reminded him so much of her younger selves that he knew that it was pure, unconscious, happy movement and once again he really considered if River should stay with them for a little longer after their adventure had ended.

The dining room was as posh as the waiting room they'd just left, with dim lights and low chatter. "Why do I get the sudden inkling that we're not going to return the diamond to the Halassi?" Danni asked lowly.

"Where's the fun in that?" River replied, smiling at the waiter that walked past them as she took a drink from them.

Danni groaned. " _River!_ " she scolded. "You had me steal the head of a murderous king just so you could sell the contents?"

"Where did you find a buyer?" the Doctor asked, curious. Danni shot him an incredulous look.

"Theta!" she exclaimed before catching herself. "Don't encourage her!" He shrugged, knowing she was just as curious as he was and she sighed. "Where _did_ you find a buyer?"

River nodded out into the room. "The starship Harmony and Redemption, minimum ticket price one billion credits, plus the provable murder of multiple innocent life forms. Suites are reserved for planet-burners," she explained quietly. "Thank you. Even the staff are required to have a verifiable history of indiscriminate slaughter. This is where genocide comes to kick back and relax."

"You do bring me on the best family outings," Danni muttered and River chuckled, taking another sip before grabbing another drink from another passing waiter. She handed it to Danni.

"Mother knows best, sweetie," she replied. "I know you love it."

They were quickly shown to their table, which was in the centre of the room, with room for some unseen guest River still haven't enlightened them to the identity of.

"Is it for the money?" Danni asked. "I mean, we could get you money if you need it, right?" She looked to the Doctor, who held his hands up, suggesting he wasn't about to get into the slight argument between the mother and daughter. Really, he just thought River was stealing because she liked to steal things, but he was very happy watching his wife berate her for it.

River pulled a face. "Of course not," she replied, as if the thought was idiotic. "You know what it's like, sweetie. I've seen your tiara collection on a number of occasions."

"I have never chopped off anyone's head for one of those!" Danni protested.

"If you recall, I never chopped off his head," she pointed out as she rummaged through her clutch. "Now, should we sync up?"

She pulled out her TARDIS diary and the sight of it made Danni smile slightly. She was even carrying it around in her magical purses. That was kind of sweet. The smile faded, though, as she realised just how thumbed through the pages were, and how many River was passing as she flipped through, trying to find the best point to start from.

"That's quite full, isn't it?" she asked her sadly. River paused for barely a moment as she tried to find the story she wanted to start with.

"I guess it is," she said offhandedly. "I've never really paid attention."

That was a lie they all could feel hang heavy in the air. It was the feeling of knowing exactly what reaching the end of the diary would mean. The loss of someone else that Danni loved, would that come with the loss of memories as well? Was she about to lose another mother?

She reached out and snatched the diary out of her hand, shutting it and practically slamming it on the table. "We'll have to get you a new one," she stated loudly, and firmly, before sitting back in her chair, as if daring either of them to pick it up. "Or none at all. Diaries are boring. We have a time machine and video calls. I'll make you a hat, it can read your memories for you. Much better than paper and pens."

The heaviness didn't lift from the air as they all sat there, Danni with her arms crossed in front of her until the Doctor sighed heavily. Neither of them was going to break it, were they?

"Go on then," he said to River, who frowned.

"What?"

"How did you end up married to him?" He kicked the head underneath the table. "Sleeping beauty here."

"I married the diamond, I think you'll find," she reminded pointedly. Even Danni looked a little intrigued at the idea so she shifted, crossing one leg over the other. "I posed as his nurse. Took me a week."

"That's-that's impressive," Danni had to admit. "What about Ramone? How did he end up trailing you about?"

"Ah, now _that_ is an interesting story," River replied. "I was…"

A waitress walked over, apologetic. "Doctor Song, your guest has docked, he should be with you in a very few minutes."

"Thank you," River replied politely. "Whenever he's ready."

"Of course." The waitress bowed, then left.

"What about Nardole?" Danni asked, knowing that asking who they were meeting was probably not going to get her anywhere. "How did you meet him?"

"What is it with you and Nardole?" River asked with a laugh. Danni shrugged.

"I don't know," she admitted. "You sent him to me because he was charming and you were right; he annoyed me. I like him. How did you meet him?"

As River explained how she met Nardole, which was incredibly exciting and amazing and a story Danni would remember for the rest of her days, a shadow fell across the table. A very pale man with a large scar running diagonally from one side of his face to the other stood above them.

"Which of you is Song?" he demanded in a raspy voice.

"Who wants to know?" the Doctor replied shortly. It was quite obvious, even past the wonderfully bleak picture River had painted, that the man hovering over them was very shady character. He didn't appreciate either of them being brought into River's problems.

"I am Scratch," he replied, as if it meant something.

"Don't need your name," River dismissed. "Are you empowered to purchase?"

"I represent the Shoal of the Winter Harmony."

"And?" Danni interrupted, also acting like she didn't care. She knew how this sort of thing went down, and the quicker they sold the diamond, the quicker they could leave. "That doesn't matter. Can you pay, yes or no?"

"And could you either sit down or fetch us the wine list or something?" the Doctor added and River had to suppress a grin. She hated it when he amused her, it made it even harder to be annoyed at his very existence.

Scratch did as he was told. "You have the diamond?" he asked.

"Of course I have the diamond. Show me the money," she retorted. Scratch straightened, facing Danni as he ran one finger along the entirety of his scar. His skulls beeped quietly and, when he reached under his chin, let out the sound of decompressing gas. He dug his fingers in and pulled his head in two, letting one half hang by his shoulder, revealing the blue fleshy contents.

Danni turned her head, her stomach turning at the sight and the sound. She hadn't expected him to just… _open his head_ up like that! It was disgusting and she didn't want that anywhere near where food was being served. Hadn't he heard of food hygiene.

"Just a thought, you probably shouldn't do that in a restaurant," the Doctor told him, reading her mind and confirming that it was just all around gross. She tried not to judge alien species by what they could do, but she also didn't turn back until the Doctor gave her a small nod to tell her it was safe. He'd pulled a small silver ball out of his head and handed it to River, who cleaned it up.

"Once instructed, this will transfer the necessary funds to whatever account you choose," he explained. "The diamond?"

River grabbed the bag containing Hydroflax's head and placed it on the table in front of him. "You're going to have to dig for it a bit," she said, understating slightly. "But somehow I don't think that's going to be a problem for you."

Scratch wasn't quite happy with the arrangement and he showed them as such, revealing they were surrounded by his people, all who had the same facial scar as him and a penchant for hissing on command. River, however, expertly managed to calm him down and it was rather nice to see her in action. Danni didn't get to spend enough time with her parents and it made her wonder if she should ask the Doctor if River could stay with them. Perhaps they could pick up Jack as well, if she could get them both to behave around each other it actually might be quite fun.

Scratch opened the small ball, tapping buttons on the inside as he entered the finer details of the exchanged. "One hundred billion credits, as we agreed," he declared, standing up as he handed it back to River, who entered her own details. "This accesses all the banks in the galaxy."

"Thank you," River replied, and Danni couldn't blame her. When she had been on the run, she would have given anything for a hundred billion credits. Perhaps she really would have stolen a head of a king. "Here you go, then," she continued, starting to open the bag to pull out the head. "You may need to use a spoon or knitting needle or something."

"Be it known, we do not do this for ourselves," Scratch declared to his waiting audience.

"We really don't care," River dismissed, wanting to give him the head and get away from them.

"We do it in honour of our distant and loving King, who once visited our world in blood and joy," he continued regardless.

"You really know the best people, don't you?" Danni muttered and River rolled her eyes.

"We honour thee, we prostrate ourselves in your name, Hydroflax."

As the room all got to their knees and chanted for their king, River slowly began to rezip the bag, suddenly aware of how much more complicated their situation had become.

Danni leant closer, eyes blazing, furious. " _What have you gotten us into?"_ she hissed.


	51. The End

Usually, with three very smart people in the room, the Doctor, Danni and River would have been able to act fast and appropriate to any situation they suddenly found themselves in. Unfortunately, all three were taken by surprise and that meant that they all just stared, dumbfounded, as the crowd around them continued to chant in favour of the king whose head currently was in a bag waiting to have his brains dug out for a diamond.

Danni, trying not to seem too out of sorts, reached forward and pulled the bag to her. Her main thought was that she could grab the bag and they could make a run for it. It wasn't much of a plan, but then again running made up quite a lot of their lives and there was nothing wrong with falling back into one of the classics.

"I'm assuming you don't have a plan for this?" she whispered to River, who shook her head. How could she have possibly expected _this_ to happen?

Scratch held out his hands. "Give it. Give us the treasure," he demanded but no one did. He looked between the trio. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," Danni quickly reassured him. "We just didn't want to interrupt your wonderful display of devotion," she looked at River, "isn't that right, sweetie?"

River quickly nodded along. "That's- that's exactly right," she replied. "You obviously care about him so much, we just wanted to make sure we weren't being disrespectful."

"We have paid, we will receive," Scratch told them, furious and they all shared a slightly panicked look again.

"Um…" Danni drawled, standing up and grabbing the bag. "Of course- of course you will," she reassured him. "Let me just-let me just check everything is in order."

"We will receive," Scratch demanded and she looked pointedly at the Doctor, but he looked just as out of his depth as she was. What could they possibly do except try and get away as fast as possible? The problem came when they got to the TARDIS and there was a large suit of armour waiting to kill them. She hadn't even begun to work out how they could get away from that.

"Fine, fine, be like that," she declared. "We're trying to put on a lovely show for you, which is more of a service than you paid for, by the way," she pointed out, "but if you're impatient and don't want it, then fine. Honestly, what happened to some manners, eh?"

"We will receive!" he shouted and she shoved the bag at him.

"Here, it's right here," she snapped. "If you talk to people like that no wonder you have to hide things in your head."

River stood up, seeing a rant about manners coming their way considering how Danni was glaring at Scratch. She moved over to her daughter's side, with her husband appearing on the other as they all tried to leave. "You know, it's been lovely, but er, we don't want to intrude on this special moment, so why don't we just leave you with the new baby…"

Scratch did not look amused. "You will remain."

"Is that strictly necessary?" she asked.

"I do not like surprises," he told them and the Doctor grimaced, thinking about what was in the bag.

"Well, it's going to be a funny old day. Oh, boy," he groaned as Scratch began to slowly unzip the bag. Danni let out a little noise of panic and he sighed. This was _all_ River's fault. "You know what? I just can't stand idly by and let this continue." He grabbed the bag from Scratch's hand. "Death had been done this day!" he cried, climbing up onto a chair so he could tower over them all. "Noble blood has been spilled, and our tears will surely follow."

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Danni hissed, not liking the angry noises coming from their crowd. He just waved off her concerns as he made himself the main focus of the room.

"The sky shall crack, the ground shall heave, and even the rocks and the stones shall weep their rage." He jumped back down onto the floor, unzipping the bag. "Behold! The head of Hydroflax!"

Seeing the head of their beloved King did not calm down the diners, who in fact hissed in horror and anger at the sight of the head. He placed it on the table and knelt down in front of it. "Rest now, sweet prince. Walk amongst us nevermore," he said dramatically before standing up and clapping his hands together. "Shall we start the bidding at two hundred billion?" he declared.

"Oh my god, that's genius," Danni whispered as his ridiculous actions made sense. If they could get the crowd fighting over the head and not them then they could escape. She skipped over to her husband's side. "We apologise to you all for keeping this glorious artefact from you," she told the room. "We just had to make sure that you were truly followers of our great king, didn't we Professor Song?"

River quickly nodded, joining in on the charade. "Oh, my apologies to the truly devout," she said, arms at her side as she did.

"And shall we find out who is the most truly devout?" the Doctor asked.

"This is heresy!" Scratch snarled, as they had expected, but they ignored him. Danni quickly picked someone out at random.

"Two hundred over there from a most devout follower," she cried as River spotted someone behind them.

"Two hundred fifty million," she declared as the fake bid. She then made a 'call me' sign to the woman, who looked a little flattered. Had they been in a less precarious setting, Danni would have teased her about it. As it was, that was just going to have to wait until later.

"Silence! This is not our way," Scratch declared and the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Well, it doesn't say much for your king if you can't put a price on his head," he told them, turning back to the table. "Let us see what the king himself has to say." He grabbed a knife from the table and jabbed it into the back of his neck. With a roar of anger and pain, Hydroflax woke up and all of the diners fell to their knees in worship of him.

Danni quickly grabbed the Doctor's hand. "Move," she told them both and they all ran for the door, only to be cut off by Flemming, the waiter who had shown them to their seats.

"Professor Song!" he greeted in a tone that suggested something very bad was about to happen. "Has the food disappointed you?"

"Oh, this is bad," Danni groaned under her breath as the sound of hydraulics came from around the corner. The large armour of Hydroflax appeared behind him and the rest of the room screamed, darting out around it. It seemed strange, considering that they were worshiping the king a moment ago, but people were fickle.

River grabbed her hand and the trio tried to run around it as well, but were quickly apprehended by security guards and marched back to where they had started.

"At last, I am whole again," Hydroflax's head declared triumphantly. "Come to me, my body." The armour stopped right in front of him but made no move to pick up the head and return it to its rightful place. "Well? Put me back."

"Scan in progress," the body replied, a light emitting from its stomach as it scanned the head.

Hydroflax's eyes glanced around, almost as if he was embarrassed by the display. "You don't need to scan me, just put me back."

"Tissue deterioration now irreversible," the cyborg told him. "Additional; the projectile inside your brain continues to move. Prognosis, death in seven minutes."

"Well, I refuse," Hydroflax declared. "King Hydroflax does not accept death."

"Orders requested."

"Whatever I need to survive, do it. Now," he commanded.

"Orders accepted. You need a new head."

No one quite expected that response, nor the fact that the body blasted the head as if it was nothing, leaving just ash and the diamond that had been lodged in his brain on the table.

"As I was saying, your Majesty," Flemming told the body, with no regard for the decimated head. Instead, he looked it up and down as he reconsidered his words. "Well, your remaining Majesty," he offered before walking forward. He snatched River's bag out of her hand. "If it's a new head you're after," he reached in and pulled out the blue TARDIS diary, "this is the guide to the very best."

River's eyes widened in panic as she tried to step forward to grab it back. "Don't touch that!" she exclaimed. "Give that back to me!"

The Doctor did much of the same but was pulled back by the guards holding them. They both knew what that diary contained, the life and times of both Danni and the Doctor, but Danni specifically. "I wouldn't do that if I was you," he warned lowly, his tone dark.

"The diary of River Song," Flemming continued. "The ultimate guide to the Time Lord known as the Doctor." He smirked greasily. "Long live the King."

Danni could never really explain what went through her whenever the Doctor was threatened directly. Whilst both the Doctor and River were surprised that they were looking for the Doctor, and not Danni who featured more in the diary that her husband, she just straightened, a burning rage inside her filling her up until she could almost see the red hue that appeared in cartoons. It was a primal protection that, usually, came out in pure rage but sometimes came out quiet and calculating.

"Give it back," she told Flemming simply. "Right now." He dismissed her by not even addressing her words and her head tilted to the side. "I said, give it back."

"No, I don't think I will," he said as he opened the book, flicking through the pages. "This is why you should always tip your waiters."

Danni squeezed her eyes shut, mimicking the actions of someone with a really bad headache. River shared a concerned look with the Doctor. "Sweetie?" she asked and Danni's eyes snapped open again.

"Flemming," she said loudly. "It is Flemming, isn't it?" He shot her a look like he didn't really care what she was saying. "Do you know who I am?"

"Unfortunately not," he replied sarcastically.

"Because I don't know who you are," she spoke over him. "But I know _what_ you are. Your children eat their mother but not their father, and you only have two eyes, which makes you a Welrn, from Outeria Seven, am I right?"

" _This is irrelevant,_ " the robot declared and Danni shook her head. She hadn't removed her gaze from Flemming.

"It isn't," she promised the armour. "You see, that blue box you found with our dear king here?" She gave the armour a sarcastic little bow. "That's my home. River Song, over there," she pulled her arm free to gesture to her, "she's my mother. We went on a little adventure while my husband had a break and now I'm here talking to you. My name is Danielle Fielding. I'm the Time Child."

Flemming, to his credit, managed to pale his blue skin to show his panic despite seemingly having the upper hand in the situation. Danni, on the other hand, looked rather calm and collected. She had been expecting that response. It was the response everyone who had heard of her gave, one she rather enjoyed because it usually worked to her advantage; they responded with fear.

"What happened on Outeria Seven?" River asked her, seeing the change in the waiter and instantly knowing it wasn't anything good.

"I blew it up," Danni replied simply, much to her surprise. "Well, part of it anyway. You see, someone managed to realise who I was and tried to turn me over to Missy. I wasn't happy." She took one step closer but no one made a move to stop her. River looked around at everyone, the pit in her stomach growing and growing. They were all terrified of her. "I'm not very happy now, either, if I'm honest. You've threatened my mother and my husband."

Flemming looked and felt very much out of his depth and turned to the armour. "My-my King," he stuttered. "If she truly is the Time Child, then we have a much more valuable bargaining chip. If-If word gets out that we have her captive, both the Doctor and the other Time Lord, the Mistress, will come for her. You could have your pick of truly magnificent heads."

Danni snorted. "Oh, you know what will happen if Missy finds out you're holding me captive?" she asked. "She'll burn you alive and turn you into soup. Your children will forget all about their mother's taste when they're fed you. And if they join forces to save me?" She smirked. "You'll _wish_ you'd never met me."

The armour stomped around so it was facing Danni. " _Confirmation required,_ " it declared before more whirring came from its torso. The space where Hydroflax's head used to sit was filled with the rather sweaty head of Nardole. He looked dazed and confused, which no one could blame him for.

" _Is this woman the daughter of River Song?_ " the armour asked him. " _The consort of the Time Lord known as the Doctor?_ "

"Huh?" Nardole blinked, looking around and down at Danni. "I think so, yeah," he replied offhandedly. "Here, can I stay up for a bit? It's really very whiffy down there." The body didn't listen, Nardole's head back into the torso as he continued to complain.

Danni stared, a neutral expression on her face. "You took Nardole's head?" she asked lightly before turning to look at River. "It took Nardole's head."

River nodded slowly. "I-I can see that," she replied.

"Danni, Miss Time Child, don't you think you should step back?" the Doctor encouraged pointedly. "Your husband wouldn't want you to get into trouble."

"It's a good thing he's not _here_ then, isn't it?" she replied. His shoulder's sagged slightly and he knew he had to step in. However, he wasn't sure how quickly he could talk himself out of having his head chopped off without having an exit strategy. He just wanted to get her away from them all as soon as possible.

Danni let out a little laugh. A tired, resigned sound. "Well, that's just no good, is it?" she told them all. "I liked Nardole. He was annoying. It's hard to be likeable and annoying at the same time."

"Proceed faster," the armour told Flemming. "Or your head will be taken."

"The thing is," Danni mused loudly, jumping up onto the table when Hydroflax's remains were. "I used to be good. I used to care, I used to have a conscience. But then, something strange happened." She looked at them all, her face hardening. "I _forgot."_

The Doctor could barely breathe as he stood, frozen on the spot as they all stared up at her. She wasn't in a threatening stance, in a beautiful dress and her arms clasped behind her back, but she looked terrifying. He knew it wasn't just him, because even River looked horrified, and he realised this must be how she felt when he got angry. She would try and reassure him, bring him back to the light from the darkness taking over, but he couldn't even find his voice to speak up.

His mind went to Mercy, long ago, where Amelia Pond told him that he'd travelled on his own too long. Removing Clara meant that, for the majority of her life, they had only had each other, two people who struggled with living too long and feelings of grandeur over the universe. Add a lifetime of pain, and suffering, and war and Missy into the mix, and she quickly was losing herself to it and he had done a poor job of recognising it. What he'd mistaken for trepidation was a complete lack of interest in the world outside, something he had struggled with from time to time.

In front of him stood his younger self, pointing a gun at a man across a line outside an old western town, declaring and convincing himself that was he was doing was the right thing. Except, this time, he and River were the companions to the ancient god-like creature. He needed to stop it. He needed to _help_ her.

"I want to make this very clear," she told the room. "I am not armed. I look fabulous, but I am not armed. But you threatened by husband. So I will win." She looked at the robot and gave one simple instruction; "Tell me I'm lying."

The blue light of the scanner ran across her from the chest of the armour. "Confirmed. The lifeform is not lying."

"Thank you, sweetie," she said as if the robot had handed her a drink of tea. She jumped down onto the floor and walked back to her place by the security guard who had held her back. "You see, I'm not good. I _look_ good, but I'm not. I don't think I ever was, and there's definitely no going back now. So, I suggest, you step back and away." No one had seen her grab it, but before anyone could even blink she had stabbed a knife into the shoulder of the security guard next to her, twisting it. He screamed in pain and dropped the ground, bleeding heavily. She didn't even blink. "You know I mean it."

"Danni," River whispered, horrified and devastated. Her daughter looked at her and she saw nothing but coldness on her face. "Stop now," she pleaded and Danni shook her head.

"They can't kill me quick enough for me to stop," she told her mother. "There is nothing I won't do to save the Doctor." She looked up at the armour. "There's nothing I won't do to save my family," she warned it. "I will roast you alive."

River had never been one for emotional dramatics. She could be dramatic when it came to escape plans, or clothing, or attitude, but emotions were normally something she could keep in check with a cheeky grin and a sarcastic comment. When the bell tolled to tell them that another hour had passed, she could have sobbed in relief. The woman she was looking at was not the daughter, or friend, that she knew and adored. She was unarmed, but River didn't, for one second, doubt her promise to destroy them all and while normally she would have loved the fact it came from a desire to keep her safe, it just sat wrong.

"Danni, Danni," she started, reaching forward and grabbing her by the arm. Danni allowed herself to be pulled back over. "While we really do need a chance to talk about… well, all of this, I think that we should really stand here."

Danni frowned. "Why?" she asked, to both of her points.

River looked at the Doctor. "Exits?" she asked him. He seemed a little surprised that she was going to him for advice but he didn't question it.

"Four exits, two concealed, one in the ceiling and one in the floor," he quickly listed off.

"How do you know that?" Danni asked.

"While you were off stabbing people and being bad, I was looking for a way to get you safe," he replied. "I think the floor might be out of the question. Too tight for three."

"Cease this conversation," the armour demanded.

"Darling," River started, again addressing the Doctor. "In the event of a sudden meteor strike on the lower starboard decks, where would you say is the safest place to stand?"

"Meteor strike?" Danni questioned.

"Exactly here, I should think."

"Do you know what that isn't?" River asked before smirking. "A coincidence."

Danni grinned. "An escape plan," she realised. "You are good."

River gave a shrug, like it wasn't a big deal. "It's cheaper than a taxi."

"What meteor strike?" Scratch asked. River raised her finger in response.

" _Alert. Meteor strike imminent."_

" _That_ meteor strike," she explained. The whole ship started to shake as it was bombarded with meteors on the outside. Danni quickly grabbed onto the Doctor as they fell through the floor, just as River had planned for. They landed together in the reception area and Danni cheered in delight.

"That was brilliant!" she crowed. "Can we do it again?!"

The Doctor brushed off her dress, clearing her from the dust and the rubble that had been caused by the floor collapsing. "We're _still_ doing it," he chided lightly. "What's the plan?"

River looked around at the running people before she glanced upwards. The diamond was falling straight towards them and she got ready to catch it in her dress. "Just one…" she said slowly as she caught it. Danni rolled her eyes.

"The diamond? Really?"

"Do you really want to leave it behind?" she countered. "Do you think I would go through all this trouble if I could just find the wreckage and dig it up myself?" She motioned behind her. "I'm going to drive while you two inevitably have a heart to heart and deal with the robot." She turned and dashed off towards the bridge to stop the crashing and killing everyone.

"What do you mean by that?" Danni called after her before turning to the Doctor. "What did she mean by that?"

"She means the fact that you _stabbed_ a person!" he retorted.

"So?" Danni retorted. "He was aiding and abetting the people who wanted to cut off _your_ head!"

He threw his hands out to his side. "You _stabbed_ someone, Danielle!" he exclaimed. "He was just doing his job!"

"And I was just doing mine!" she snapped back before pointing her finger at him. "And I don't appreciate your tone."

" _My_ tone?!"

The ship shook again as the large armour of Hydroflax jumped down from the floor above, landing in front of them. " _I will take your head._ "

Danni shot a glare at the robot. " _Not now_!" she exclaimed before turning her attention back to her husband. "I was _trying_ to save your life!"

"You were showing off," he retorted. "You can't fool me, I'm the king of showing off!"

"Oh? So you can show off and I can't?" she snapped. "How's that fair?"

"This isn't about being fair," he replied.

"No, it's about me protecting you!" she cried. Her hand reached into the air and caught a falling silver ball without barely look. "This is about me not losing anyone else I love!" She turned to the robot and show it the ball. "Use this!" she commanded. "It will give you all the money you will ever need to get every head in existence! You want the Doctor's head? That's how you start."

" _Demonstrate!_ " it demanded. She moved over and shoved the ball into the socket were a head would normally sit. Immediately the robot started glitching.

"Do you know what I never had while I was on the run?" she asked the Doctor. "Money. I had to beg and steal to be able to survive because big fish were out of the question. _Nothing_ is protected by this universe as money."

His eyes lit up in comprehension and their argument was forgotten for a moment as the robot dropped to its knees. "Welcome to all the best firewalls in the galaxy," he to the robot. "Every stock market within a light year is arguing in your head."

" _I do not understand,_ " the robot stuttered out. " _Do not understand. Do not understand._ "

"That's the way it is for most people," the Doctor replied. He took hold of Danni's hand and began pulling her towards the bridge, where River was hopefully saving them all.

Out of the corner of her eye Danni spotted something blue on the floor. "Wait!" she cried. "Wait!" She let go of him just long enough to grab the TARDIS diary off the floor. She took hold of his hand again. "She'd be so upset if she lost this," she explained.

 _~0~0~0~_

River tried as hard as she could to pull the ship under control, but the meteors had done too much damage and there didn't seem much she could do but ensure that the ship crashed as safely as possible.

The Doctor and Danni ran in and saw that she was the only one fighting for their lives. "Where's everyone else?" the Doctor asked as something sparked nearby.

"They ran for it," she replied. "So should we."

"Can we even get back to the TARDIS?" Danni asked. "Your meteors have blown holes through everything!"

"They're not my meteors, although I appreciate that you think I can control space debris," River retorted. "I had this book, _History's Finest Exploding Restaurants,"_ she explained. "The best food for free, Skip the coffee."

"Almost die in the process," Danni retorted.

"Almost being the operative word," River replied. Danni held out the TARDIS diary to her.

"I picked this up for you," she said. "I knew you wouldn't want to be without it."

Touched, River took it and held it tight in her free hand. "Thank you, sweetie."

Danni smiled at her. "Anytime, Mum."

"Not to break up this lovely moment, but we need to get the navcom back online," the Doctor told them. "And re-route the thrusters."

"That's what I've been trying to do," River retorted. They all set to work, the Doctor and River using their respective sonic devices on the console whilst Danni tried everything she knew. Granted, she still wasn't quite as experience with landing crashing spaceships as she was with the TARDIS, but she could still help where she could.

"Can I just say something?" she asked as another spark had them all ducking for cover. "Hydroflax? Not my favourite stepdad."

"I married the diamond, not the king," River reminded yet again. "Who was your favourite?"

Danni paused for just a moment before realising that she didn't have that luxury. "Did you marry Nardole?" she asked curiously and River laughed.

"Unfortunately not."

"Well, I guess it'd have to be Cleo," she replied, pouting just a little. "She was lovely." She moved to the command seat to see if she could find some overrides to the security on the controls that were causing them all a bit of bother. "She gave me that golden dress, remember?"

"I do. You looked marvellous in that," River said fondly. "I was very…" She paused, moving from one screen to another as she caught a look at the planet they were heading to. "Hang on a minute. I recognise that planet."

"Well, that's nice. Maybe they'll name the crater after us," the Doctor retorted. He wasn't sure how they both had just fallen into banter after Danni's display but it was like River cared as much as she did. How was she not as worried as he felt? That Danielle had been someone he had barely recognised. She'd been the Time Child and he hated it.

"That's Darillium!"

Danni's hands stilled, a cold dread rushing over her. The Doctor also paused, instantly recognising the name and what came with it. He looked over at Danni, who was scrambling off her chair to fall to her mother's side.

"Are you sure?" she asked desperately.

River nodded. The sight outside was beautiful and Danni knew she had no idea what it meant for her. Suddenly all of her anger fell away to the pain of knowing they were heading squarely for the planet they'd avoided almost as fiercely as they'd tried to avoid Trenzalore. But, it would seem, they couldn't outrun it either.

"You know, the Singing Towers," River continued and Danni nodded. "You always say you're going to take me there for dinner and then you always cancel at the last minute."

"Because there's always more to see," Danni whispered. The planet below was so stunning, as she had found every planet to be from above. Any other planet and she'd have been as excited as ever to spend time there with River. "Things that are so much better than that."

River frowned as she looked down at her daughter. Danni, old or young, grumpy or happy, never found any part of the universe worse than the other. She almost looked like she was going to cry.

There was another explosion and the Doctor made his way over to the other side of the room, to a console that was quickly becoming a part of his plans. "Danielle, over here!" he called and she stumbled to his side.

"This is for the internal teleport," she said, confused.

"Yes. I can use the power cell to boost the thrusters," he explained. "River! If you could stop drooling at the view for a moment…"

"Oh, shush," she retorted, also joining them. He held out a strand of the bright blue wiring he pulled out from it. She grabbed it. "What's this supposed to do?"

"Get you out of here," he replied. She looked positively fuming as he sent her to the TARDIS with the teleport. As the cable dropped to the ground Danni grabbed his hands.

"What do we do?" she asked quickly. "We can't take her down there! How do we stop it?"

He wanted to tell her it was all going to be okay, but he knew it wasn't. He knew that, as they speeded down to the ground, that River's diary was nearly full and there was only one more place to go. Instead of saying anything he cupped her face, then the back of her head as he brought her closer to rest his forehead on hers. He heard her whimper but she didn't pull away.

The TARDIS quickly appeared behind them and Danni broke away before River could see how upset she was. River ducked her head out.

"I'm going to kill you for that," she told them. "We're going to crash any moment now! Get inside!"

They didn't need telling twice, the pair rushing over and closing the doors just as the ship crashed into Darillium. The force broke through the TARDIS and sent them all flying.

 _~0~0~0~_

The Doctor woke up with sore ribs but not much else, which was surprising considering he was sure that a rather large explosion had sent all three of them across the console room. He sometimes wondered how he could be so lucky and survive everything. Sometimes he wondered if it was luck at all, or a punishment. He guessed he'd never really know.

He sat up and looked for Danni, unable to find her. He started to panic only to see the TARDIS front door open just slightly, indicated that she was most likely outside. He quickly checked on the unconscious River – alive, which was great – and he picked up the diamond for good measure before heading outside.

It was dark, and he was sure it would have been cold had there not been a burning engine just outside the TARDIS doors. Danni was sat on a piece of debris, staring at the fire and she didn't look at him until he sat down in the dirt next to her.

"This can't be it," she told him. "This can't be."

"Everything ends," he replied softly. "It has to otherwise what's the point?"

"I won't let her die, Theta, I can't," she whispered. "She's my mum."

"She'll always be your mum. Jack will always be your dad. I will always be your husband…"

"And Clara will always be my friend?" she cut in. "Until I forget. I always forget. I always…" She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I can't live past everyone," she said. "Look what happens when I do. I lived past Clara…"

"That's not true," he tried to reassure her but she shook her head.

"It is true," she insisted. "I lived past her, she's gone from my memories like my mum and dad, like Rose and Martha and Sarah Jane. I lived past Clara because she's gone too and look what happens to me." She pressed her lips together, looking at the fire that burnt in front of them. "I stabbed a guy today and I don't care. I just- I don't care at all. I care more about that fact that I don't care than the fact that he probably went down with this ship.

"I never liked Me, not just because she was cold and unfeeling, but because I can feel myself going the same way," she admitted. "I feel like that girl who would shout and scream at the injustices in the universe has just gone away and left me angry and distant and I never wanted that- I never wanted that to be me because there's no coming back from that. I can't fix it. I can't be like her anymore."

"Yes, you can," he promised taking her hand and bringing it over his shoulder so he could hold it. "I know you can."

"No, you know you want me to be able to," she corrected. "Doesn't mean I ever actually will be."

He didn't say anything as he watches the flames dance through the wreckage. He wondered if this was what she had in mind when she had threatened to burn through the ship after they'd threatened him. He was sure she had envisioned something a lot worse.

"Long ago, I promised to save you from the Master and I failed," he started. "I then promised to save you from Missy, and I failed that too. I promised I'd help you get over losing your friend and, as it turns out, I'm not very good at that either. But I _can_ promise you something." He turned on his seat so he could look up at her. She was only illuminated by the light from the fire and was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "I can help you find yourself. I know I can."

"How can you be so sure?" she whispered.

"Because I was lost once too," he reminded her. "I was lost in regeneration and loss and pain, and you dug through it all and found me in that mess."

"You-You were always there. You were just scared," she protested.

"And I can tell by the way you're holding my hand that you're scared too," he replied. She looked down at where their hands were joined and saw how white her knuckles were. She hadn't realised it, but now she could feel it. "I know she's in there somewhere, behind the anger and the pain you're carrying. I see her all the time and I will help you find her too. I can help you find a Danni you're proud of being again because I watched you do the same for me. You have always been my best teacher."

She tried to smile. "You were the geography teacher, not me," she teased half-heartedly, reminding him of his previous body. "I think I'd prefer to learn from you than anyone else."

He opened his mouth to retort, but then stopped because when he actually thought on it, he didn't mind the idea at all. He could be a teacher. He'd make a _great_ teacher.

"Do you really think you can fix me?" she asked quietly. "I think I'm beyond saving."

"You're not broken," he replied. "But just because you did something bad doesn't mean you're a bad person. Even the most reluctant can be redeemed with time." He brought her hand to his lips, placing a kiss on her palm. "I can't make you be something, good or bad, but I can help you decide that for yourself. I can show you how I see you every day."

"And how's that?" she whispered and he smiled brightly at her.

"As my Danni-Girl," he told her know that it would bring a smile on her tired, sad face. "One day you'll see yourself as I've always seen you. And I'll be there, nudging you on your way until you do."

She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, and she wanted to tell him that his love for her was simply astounding. Instead she continued to stare at the fire. "We live too long," she said softly.

"We do," he agreed. "But at least it's together."

He was right. At least, when it came to it, they weren't on their own. He'd hold her up to the mark and she'd do the same for him. They could very easy lose themselves to the darkness that was in both of them. She would never let that happen to him, so she couldn't let that happen to herself either.

So, she started with something that, in the grand scheme may have been small, but was very big to her. "I can't let her die like this," she declared. "It needs to be better. She deserves a good death more than anyone."

The Doctor nodded. "You're definitely right there," he agreed. He held his hand out in front of him and showed her the diamond he'd picked up. "Let's go make that happen."

 _~0~0~0~_

River was confused, which took a lot of doing if she was modest enough to admit she was confused in the first place. It was obvious from the moment she opened her eyes that she was alone in the TARDIS so, tentatively, she took a look outside of her doors to see if she could find her daughter and her husband.

Instead of the wreckage she had been expecting, she found a woman at a check in desk with a bright smile. There was no debris, or carnage, or fire. In fact, it all seemed a bit posh. It was obviously a restaurant considering the ambient noise of people chatting quietly to one another and the clinking of cutlery on plates.

"Professor Song," she greeted, as if she had been waiting. "The Doctor and Danielle are waiting for you on the balcony."

"Oh," she replied softly, still as confused as she had been stepping out of the TARDIS. "Excellent."

"This way, ma'am," the receptionist told her, still bright and happy as she turned and led the way.

"Do we have a good table?" River asked, taking in the décor. She loved the colours, and the light suggested it wasn't dark outside, but dimming into dusk. She rather liked it.

"The finest in all the galaxy, ma'am."

She paused in her step. "Ah," she replied, thinking about the clothes she was wearing. Not nearly good enough. "Er, one moment." She pulled out her spray, giving herself one more spray to put on a dark red evening dress. "That's better, wouldn't you agree?" she asked the woman.

"You look lovely, ma'am," the receptionist replied.

"Good enough for a dinner date with my daughter, I should think."

She was shown to a red pathway, covered in beautiful archways with foliage growing over them, to not Danni, but a rather large red armour suit she had been certain she would never see again.

"Ramone?" she asked, tentatively stepping closer. He smiled at her.

"Professor Song," Ramone greeted. "Danielle will be with you in a moment."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, smiling now she knew he wasn't about to attack her.

"They pulled us from the wreckage, ma'am. Fixed us up. I've been working here ever since. Don't worry. The nasty part's all gone. Got deleted in the merger," he explained. She was so glad that he was alright, it just brought up a whole load of new questions.

"What about Nardole?"

"Oh, Merry Christmas, ma'am. Yeah, good to see you again," his voice replied from inside the suit. She grinned in delight.

"Merry Christmas, Nardole!"

"Sorry I'm off duty. I'm just having some me time."

She leant a little closer, raising her voice slightly because she wasn't sure how thick the metal armour actually was. "I imagine that must be quite a challenge."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a chuckle and she couldn't help but laugh as well. It was so nice to see them flourishing together despite what had happened to them. She reached out, running her hand over the cold metal of his chest.

"So, Ramone, you have a metal body now…" she started.

"Down, girl."

She turned to see the Doctor stood at the end of the hallway, in a black suit and his hair styled nicely. "Now that, my dear, is a suit," she told him as he headed towards her. "Much less magician than normal. In fact, she was sure she'd only seen him dressed so sensibly in the photos Danni liked to share.

He walked up to her, holding out a gold box with a red bow on it. "Happy Christmas."

"Christmas?" she asked, taking it off him.

"Not my idea, you know what she's like," he replied.

"What is she like?" she asked him, thinking back on the day's events. "Is she okay?"

"No, not really," he admitted. "She's struggling, but she'll come through. When you live as long as we do, eventually everything works out."

River nodded along, knowing the feeling well despite being younger than the two Time Lords. "What about Clara?"

"Clara's gone," he replied. "Bringing it up just hurts. I'd leave that alone."

She wasn't sure if he was talking about himself or Danni, but she didn't want to upset either one of them. So, instead of pressing, she looked down at the box. "I don't think you've ever given me a gift before."

"Well, with your diary filling up, I thought you could use something new to replace it," he replied. She opened it up and gasped in surprise at the sonic screwdriver inside. "When I saw the sonic trowel, I thought it was just embarrassing," he told her bluntly. "But, look," he took it out and set it off, showing her the blue tip. "Like mother, like daughter." He placed it back in the box for her.

"Well, thank you very much," she said honestly before glancing back the way he'd come. "Where's Danni?"

"Waiting for you," he replied, holding his arm out like a perfect gentleman. River wasn't sure how to react, after all she and the Doctor had always butted heads, but she was too happily baffled to care. So she took his arm and he led her the other way, to the table and the balcony. "You look lovely," he told her. "Less 'magician's assistant' than before."

"Oh, so you _do_ see what you look like," she replied in a tease. "I'm not sure if it being a choice is any better."

Danni was stood at the balcony, looking out at the Singing Towers that it was pointing at and River realised that they had finally taken her on the dinner date they'd been promising her for years. The wind blew around them, causing her hair to waft in the breeze and the beautiful noise mistaken for singing to echo all around. Danni hadn't changed like her husband and she was smiling as she listened to the music, but for a smile so soft she looked so sad.

"The Singing Towers," River breathed, placing the present on the table and walking to Danni's side.

"Aren't they just beautiful?" Danni asked her and she nodded.

"Oh, the music," she breathed. "Listen to it." She took just a moment just to feel it, the sound humbling her in a way not a lot of things could. She opened her mouth when she saw the way Danni's eyes shone in the dim light. "Are you crying?"

Danni shook her head, sending her the bravest smile she could. "No, of course not," she said. The Doctor joined them on the other side of Danni, nodding out to the towers.

"It's just the wind," he explained. "It blows through the cave system and harmonises with the crystal layer."

Normally River would have been interested, but she couldn't help but be concerned at the way Danni looked. While she had seen her daughter with many faces, this one had always been the hardest to read. And yet, she could tell how upset she was. "Why are you sad?" she asked, resting a hand on her arm. Danni shook her head, closing her own hand over hers.

"I'm not," she promised. "I'm okay."

They fell into a drawn-out silence until River spoke up again, something heavy on her mind. "There are stories about us, you know?" she told the pair. "I look them up sometimes."

"Oh, that's never a good idea," Danni replied. "Why bother reading the book if you just jump to the last page?"

"Some of them suggest that the very last night we spend together, all three of us, together, is at the Singing Towers of Darillium. That wouldn't be true, would it?"

Danni knew what she was asking. She knew it because, what else would anyone ask in that situation? The one question everyone wants to ask, and the one no one wants the answer to.

"This isn't the last you see of us," she replied. She didn't want to lie. "It's just one of them."

River's throat closed up, a lump appearing along with the devastation at the thought that her diary filling up really was it. It explained so much – like the Doctor being civil with her, for one – and she couldn't help but wonder if that was why Danni had been acting out so erratically. Had they known all along?

Her daughter was sad because, despite them all being all across each other's time lines, this was the night her mother died. She swallowed the sadness away. Her Danni-Girl needed her.

"Not everything lasts forever," she stated. "Everything ends eventually."

"Except me," Danni muttered, keeping her gaze firmly on the towers in front of her. "I outlive everyone, it's all I'm ever going to do."

River slowly spun her so she was looking away from the towers and at her. "Nothing lasts forever. If it did, imagine how dull the universe would be," she said. "You can still enjoy it without holding onto it forever."

"It's good enough to just see it," Danni muttered. "I know, I just…" She pressed her lips together, eyes darting around before deciding she really didn't care if it was safe to speak or not. "You're my mum," she whispered. "I don't want you to go."

River cupped her cheeks with both hands, stroking her tears away. "I'm not going anywhere, yet," she promised before turning her back around. "And just look at it," she encouraged. "Who can be sad when you can look at _that_ instead?"

Danni just wanted to hug her and never let go, to keep her from going to the Library and save her from giving her life for a Doctor and Danni who had no idea what she would become to them. But she did as she was told and looked out at the stunning display of nature, where the tunnels lined up just so that it made the world around them sing as if something heavenly was watching over them. Her sadness turned to a soft, bittersweet smile; it was _really_ beautiful. How was it the universe, just out of nowhere, could create something as spectacular as two rock towers that could sing?

The Doctor cleared his throat, leaning on his forearms as he also looked out at the scenery. For all their fighting, he never wanted the time to come when he'd have to send River off to her death. He was determined to make it right, for both of them.

"We still have tonight," he told them both. River nodded, rubbing her own eyes to stop herself from crying. "I thought we could all spend the night. One last hurrah, as they say."

"Well, that sounds delightful," River declared, as if she really was the mother trying to get her unenthusiastic child to participate in an activity. "How long is a night on Darillium?"

"Twenty-four years."

Danni's head snapped to the side as she looked up at him. "What?" she asked, almost hopeful. He copied River's actions, turning her to face him.

"You gave me five hundred years on a planet at war. I can't give you that, but I can give you this," he replied. "What do you say?"

She laughed, nodding happily. She knew that River was going to have to go the Library, she knew that they'd move on from Clara and onto something new and exciting. She knew that, with his help, she'd find her joy in the universe again. But, for now, all she wanted was a family to keep her together while she cried. "Maybe we could call Jack?" she suggested, a little cheekily. She looked back at River. "I loved Cleo, but he'll always be my favourite."

River rolled her eyes. "Fine, if you must," she said without her usual bite at the thought of Danni's father. After all, as she'd come to realise, she'd slept with him for a reason. He wasn't too bad. "But I'm so not living with him."

Danni giggled again, a heaviness lifting from her as the silence they fell into felt much lighter, much more pleasant and much less sad. The song was truly beautiful and she closed her eyes, leaning over the edge the feel in the wind that blew it all around them.

Until, that was, the Doctor pulled her back over the railings. He took her hand in his, wrapping his arm around her waist. "What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Dancing," he replied. "What does it look like?"

"There's no music."

"Does there have to be?"

River leant against the railings, watching the two sway with each other to the angelic singing of the towers. Nothing lasted forever. Happily ever after didn't mean forever, it just meant time. This was perfect.

And they lived.

 _Happily._

 _~0~0~0~_

 _Well, I hope you all liked it! Recovery is officially finished. I hope you all enjoyed the ride._

 _Thank you all for your continued support, and I hope you're all looking forward to the next story. It's coming **June 3rd, Danni's 6th Anniversary** , so keep an eye out for it._

 _Thank you._


End file.
